A process is provided for updating user settings in an energy management system for an electric and/or non-electric device. The energy management system has a communication interface, particularly a graphic user interface, for setting points in time concerning planned uses of the device. The process includes the steps of acquiring deviations between the points in time set on the part of the user and the actual points in time of using the device; evaluating the acquired deviations and deducing a possible systematic trend in the deviations, and displaying information to the user at the communication interface concerning a correction of already set future points in time concerning planned uses of the device.

A system, apparatus, and method for distributed control of thermostatic electric loads (TELs) including receiving at an energy gateway, a demand response event signal and receiving real-time measurements of a temperature value and a power consumption value corresponding to a temperature setting of a plurality of TELs. The method retrieving historical data from pre-determined load profiles for the TELs and comparing load profiles and real-time measurements to determine a first consumption trajectory. Further, coordinating temperature settings of at least two TELs to generate a second consumption trajectory corresponding to the demand response event signal.

An automation system including a plurality of peripheral devices, each configured to perform at least one function relating to energy consumption in a facility and an automation controller in communication with the plurality of peripheral devices and providing for the control of the performance of the function by each device. An external network resource such as at least a virtual private network server is configured to enable communication with the automation controller. The automation controller is configured, such as by executing virtual private network software, to establish and maintain a secure data link with the virtual private network server and to enable oversight and/or control of the automation controller via the virtual private network server.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for a smart energy home. The smart energy home may promote optimization of consumption of electricity by appliances and other consumer devices. Prioritization of where and when electricity may be provided to various appliances, chargers, or other devices which draw electrical power may be managed by the smart energy home. Information concerning prevailing weather conditions and contemporaneous electrical tariffs may be utilized in processes executed by the smart energy home. Related systems, apparatuses, and methods are also described.

A home appliance can operate in a future time frame. Information is obtained from a power distributor in order to determine a time when to operate the home appliance in this future time frame. The home appliance then operates at the time determined with information from the power distributor.

A central energy facility (CEF) includes a plurality of powered CEF components, a battery unit, and a predictive CEF controller. The powered CEF components include a chiller unit and a cooling tower. The battery unit is configured to store electric energy from an energy grid and discharge the stored electric energy for use in powering the powered CEF components. The predictive CEF controller is configured to optimize a predictive cost function to determine an optimal amount of electric energy to purchase from the energy grid and an optimal amount of electric energy to store in the battery unit or discharge from the battery unit for use in powering the powered CEF components at each time step of an optimization period.

A reduction instruction receiver receives a reduction instruction for energy from a server. An energy setter sets, when the reduction instruction receiver receives the reduction instruction, individual target energies for the respective subsystems, the individual target energies each being a target value of a consumption energy for a corresponding subsystem such that (i) a total of individual target energies that are target values of consumption energies for the respective subsystems is smaller than a total target energy that is a target value of a consumption energy of an entirety of the subsystems, and (ii) a higher correlation among consumption energies of the respective subsystems provides an increase in a total margin energy, the total margin energy being a difference between the total target energy and the sum of the individual target energies. The control-instruction transmitter transmits control-instruction information for control of the facility device based on the set individual target energies.

Systems and methods are provided for controlling a setback mode of a power-consuming device, and for controlling setback recovery of power-consuming devices, in order to make setback and setback recovery more dynamic based on current environmental parameters and previous observed operating parameters, in order to enable more efficient operation of power-consuming devices resulting in reduced energy costs and increased power efficiency.

A home appliance can operate in a future time frame. Information is obtained from a power distributor in order to determine a time when to operate the home appliance in this future time frame. The home appliance then operates at the time determined with information from the power distributor.

[Object] To control power usage of a group including a plurality of units of power consumption such that control for each unit of power consumption is adjusted in accordance with the use of power by each individual unit of power consumption over each time period to reduce unused power in the entire group.

[Solution] A power control system of the present disclosure is a power control system for performing power control such that a target power set for a group including a plurality of units of power consumption is not exceeded, the system including a limit value setting unit 330 that sets, for each of the units of power consumption, a limit value of power usage for a predetermined time period, based on the target power; and a limit value adjustment unit 370 that adjusts, within the predetermined time period, the limit value of each of the units of power consumption for the predetermined time period, based on an actual result of power usage within the predetermined time period.