Patent US10545525

Self-driving building energy engine
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US10545525

1. A method to dynamically assess and control energy efficiency of a chiller installed in a facility that includes installed building systems, subsystems, and components, the method comprising: (9) (3)

obtaining, with computer hardware including at least one computer processor and computer-readable storage, a minimum energy consumption of the chiller wherein obtaining the minimum energy consumption comprises: obtaining a theoretical minimum energy consumption of the chiller based at least in part on theoretical efficiency limits of the chiller;

obtaining an achievable energy consumption of the chiller based at least in part on specifications associated with high energy-efficiency equivalents of the chiller; and

obtaining a designed minimum energy consumption of the chiller based at least in part on specifications associated with the installed chiller;

receiving, at least once a minute, a measurement of an actual energy consumption of one or more of the chiller, installed building systems, subsystems, and components, wherein receiving the measurement of the actual energy consumption comprises: receiving, with a first analog input/output module, first data associated with the one or more of the chiller, installed building systems, subsystems and components, the first data having a first protocol;

receiving, with a second analog input/output module, second data associated with the one or more of the chiller, installed building systems, subsystems and components, the second data having a second protocol different from the first protocol;

sampling, at least once a minute, the first and second data to provide first and second digital data; and

transmitting at least one of the first and second digital data over a network having a protocol different from the first and second protocols; and

comparing, with the computer hardware, the minimum energy consumption to the measurement of the actual energy consumption to calculate an energy performance assessment that is based on theoretical, achievable, and designed energy efficiencies of the chiller, wherein comparing the minimum energy consumption to the measurement of the actual energy consumption comprises: comparing, at least once a minute, the theoretical minimum energy consumption to the measurement of the actual energy consumption to determine the theoretical energy efficiency;

comparing, at least once a minute, the achievable minimum energy consumption to the measurement of the actual energy consumption to determine the achievable energy efficiency; and

comparing, at least once a minute, the designed minimum energy consumption to the measurement of the actual energy consumption to determine the designed energy efficiency.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the facility further comprises a chiller plant and the building systems, subsystems, and components are installed within the chiller plant, and obtaining the minimum energy consumption is based at least in part on cumulative loads associated with the chiller plant. (0)

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the installed building systems, subsystems, and components comprise at least one of a pump, a cooling tower, a valve, and a water heating system. (0)

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a library of models of installed building systems to determine the designed minimum energy consumption. (0)

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the chiller further comprises a roof top packaged unit. (0)

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating a score based at least in part on an energy performance of the chiller, the score being a weighted average of the theoretical, achievable, and designed energy efficiencies. (0)

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting control commands to the one or more of the chiller, installed building systems, subsystems, and components based at least in part on the energy performance assessment, wherein the transmitting the control commands comprises: (0) (2)

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving information from a building management system associated with the facility, wherein the information comprises one or more of weather information, grid information, and utility information. (0)

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving information from a cloud computer, wherein the information comprises one or more of weather information, grid information, and utility information. (0)

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer hardware is the Chiller controller. (0)

11. An apparatus to dynamically assess energy usage of a chiller installed in a facility, the apparatus comprising: (8) (4)

an energy management system including at least one computer processor, the energy management system configured to obtain a minimum energy consumption of the chiller and the facility that includes installed building systems, subsystems, and components, wherein obtaining the minimum energy consumption comprises: obtaining, with the at least one computer processor, a theoretical minimum energy consumption of the chiller based at least in part on theoretical efficiency limits of the chiller;

obtaining, with the at least one computer processor, an achievable energy consumption of the chiller based at least in part on specifications associated with high energy-efficiency equivalents of the chiller; and

obtaining, with the at least one computer processor, a designed minimum energy consumption of the chiller based at least in part on specifications associated with the chiller;

a plurality of measurement devices configured to measure, at least once a minute, an actual energy consumption of one or more of the chiller, installed building systems, subsystems, and components;

the energy management system including a first analog input/output module and a second analog input/output module, the energy management system further configured to receive the measurement of the actual energy consumption of the one or more of the chiller, installed building systems, subsystems and components, wherein receiving the measurement of the actual energy consumption comprises: receiving, with the first analog input/output module, first data associated with the one or more of the chiller, installed building systems, subsystems and components, the first data having a first protocol;

receiving, with the second analog input/output module, second data associated with the one or more of the chiller, installed building systems, subsystems and components, the second data having a second protocol different from the first protocol;

sampling, at least once a minute, the first and second data to provide first and second digital data; and

transmitting at least one of the first and second digital data over a network having a protocol different from the first and second protocols; and

the energy management system further configured to compare, with the at least one computer processor, the minimum energy consumption to the measurement of the actual energy consumption to calculate an energy performance assessment that is based on theoretical, achievable, and designed energy efficiencies of the chiller, wherein comparing the minimum energy consumption to the measurement of the actual energy consumption comprises: comparing, at least once a minute, the theoretical minimum energy consumption of the chiller to the measurement of the actual energy consumption to determine the theoretical energy efficiency;

comparing, at least once a minute, the achievable minimum energy consumption of the chiller to the measurement of the actual energy consumption to determine the achievable energy efficiency; and

comparing, at least once a minute, the designed minimum energy consumption of the chiller to the measurement of the actual energy consumption to determine the designed energy efficiency.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the facility further includes at least one of a building, a building envelope, an energy subsystem, a zone within the building, and a data center. (0)

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the energy performance assessment further comprises at least one of a gas energy carbon footprint, an electrical energy carbon footprint, an estimate of wasted energy, an energy rating, and a power index. (0)

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the facility further comprises a chiller plant and the building systems, subsystems, and components are installed within the chiller plant, and obtaining the minimum energy consumption is based at least in part on cumulative loads associated with the chiller plant. (0)

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the energy management system is further configured to calculate a score based at least in part on an energy performance of the chiller, the score being a weighted average of the theoretical, achievable, and designed energy efficiencies. (0)

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the designed minimum energy consumption is further based at least in part on a library of models of the installed building systems. (0)

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the energy management system is further configured to receive grid and utility information. (0)

18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the energy management system is further configured to receive measurements of ambient conditions associated with the chiller. (1) (0)

20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the energy management system is further configured to transmit control commands based at least in part on the energy performance assessment, wherein transmitting the control commands comprises: (0) (2)

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Patent US10545525

Self-driving building energy engine

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