JP2012047494A - Energy management device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To induce a resident to recognize occurrence of wastefulness at the point of time when the wastefulness occurs, by recognizing that an apparatus is being wastefully used.SOLUTION: An apparatus information acquisition section 24 acquires operation information whether apparatuses 30 in a residence are being operated or stopped. An estimation section 25 of the minimal number of persons estimates the minimal number of persons required for using the apparatus being in operation in accordance with a utilizing form of the apparatuses 30. On the other hand, an acquisition section 26 of the number of home staying persons acquires the number of persons in the residence by output of a counting sensor 31 of the number of persons. A determination section 27 compares the required minimal number of persons estimated by the estimation section 25 of the minimal number of persons and the number of home staying persons acquired by the acquisition section 26 of the number of home staying persons, and when the number of home staying persons is less than the required minimal number of persons, the existence of wastefulness in the use of the apparatuses 30 is determined. The determination resulted from the determination section 27 is displayed on a display 32 through a presentation section 28.

Description

  The present invention relates to an energy management apparatus that manages wasteful use of equipment in a house.

  Conventionally, many techniques for the purpose of energy saving in a residence have been proposed. It is an important key for a resident to recognize a device that is used wastefully in a residence to reduce waste of energy generated in the residence. As a technique for managing wasteful consumption of energy, for example, it is considered to associate the presence / absence of a person in a divided section (for example, a room or a residence) with the amount of energy used (for example, see Patent Document 1). In patent document 1, the energy usage amount when the presence or absence of a person in any section changes is stored together with the section where the presence or absence of a person changes, and the energy usage amount for each section is based on the stored energy usage amount and section. Is calculated. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 also describes that energy consumption is diagnosed by obtaining an average value of energy consumption according to the presence or absence of people in each section in a predetermined period (for example, one month).

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the waste of energy consumption is diagnosed from the relationship between the presence of people in each section and the energy consumption. Patent Document 1 also describes obtaining the amount of energy used per unit person by detecting the number of people in the residence.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-232818

  By the way, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the energy consumption amount for a predetermined period is stored, and the presence or absence of waste of the energy consumption amount is diagnosed from the stored history. Therefore, the presence or absence of waste is recognized not after the device is used but after a considerable time has elapsed since the device was used. Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to suppress the occurrence of waste when waste occurs.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an energy management apparatus that recognizes that a device is being used in vain and allows a resident to recognize the occurrence of the vain at the time when the vain occurs.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a device information acquisition unit that acquires operation information indicating whether a device that is disposed in a residence and consumes energy is operating or stopped, and a device that is operating. Compare the minimum number of people estimated by the minimum number of people estimation unit, the minimum number of people estimated by the minimum number of people estimation unit, and the minimum number of people required by the home number acquisition unit. A configuration is adopted that includes a determination unit that determines that the use of the device is wasteful when the number of people at home is smaller, and a presentation unit that presents a determination result by the determination unit to the presentation device.

  The device information acquisition unit includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires the location of the device that is in operation, and the minimum number of people estimation unit obtains the necessary minimum number of people for each device location acquired by the location information acquisition unit. desirable.

  In addition, the minimum number of people estimation unit may classify the devices into a plurality of types according to the usage form of the devices, and estimate the minimum number of people required to use the operating devices according to the type of the operating device. Good.

  In this case, the minimum number-of-persons estimation unit classifies the devices that are operated when there is a person at the placement location and that are operated regardless of the number of people at the placement location, and the device operates at the placement location. Estimate the minimum required number of people when you are.

  In addition, the minimum number of people estimation unit operates when there is a person at the placement location and classifies the devices that are used by one person at the placement location into one type, and the device is the placement location. Estimate the minimum required number of people when operating as the number of devices operating.

  The minimum number of persons estimation unit obtains the minimum number of people required for each placement location where the device is operating, and calculates the minimum number of people required for the whole residence by totaling the minimum number of people required for each placement location. Is desirable.

  Alternatively, the minimum number estimating unit includes a data table in which the necessary minimum number of people is associated with a combination of devices, and the minimum necessary number of people can be determined by checking the combination of devices acquired by the device information acquiring unit with the data table. It may be determined.

  The minimum number of people estimation unit desirably does not include a device that can use the function even in a place where there is no person because the device used for estimating the necessary minimum number of people does not need to be operated continuously.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the minimum necessary number of people to use the device in operation is estimated, and when the number of people at home is smaller than the minimum necessary number of people, it is determined that the use of the device is wasteful. It is possible to immediately recognize that the user is being used wastefully, and to have the resident recognize the occurrence of waste at the time when the waste is generated.

It is a block diagram showing the function of embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the usage example same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the principal part same as the above.

  In the embodiment described below, as shown in FIG. 2, a residential communication network 11 is provided in a residence 10, and an energy management device (hereinafter abbreviated as “management device”) 20 is connected to a device 30 through the residential communication network 11. The structure which performs communication is shown. The device 30 is mainly assumed to be an electric device, but may include a gas device in addition to the electric device as long as it consumes energy. In addition, since the device 30 communicates with the management device 20 through the home communication network 11, the device 30 includes a communication interface. However, this interface only needs to have a function of notifying the management device 20 of the identification information set for each device 30 and information on whether or not the device 30 is operating. As the identification information for each device 30, it is desirable to use identification information unique to the device 30 such as a MAC address, but identification information that can identify the device 30 only in the residence 10 may be used.

  The in-home communication network 11 may be either wired or wireless. In addition to a configuration using a dedicated line as a communication path, a configuration using Ethernet (registered trademark) or the like, or a distribution line in the residence 10 is used as a communication path. The power line carrier communication may be performed. When performing power line carrier communication, it is only necessary to insert a modem into an outlet provided on the wall, so there is no need to newly lay a communication path. In the case of wireless, it is possible to use technologies such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), and Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

  The management device 20 communicates with the device 30 provided in the residence 10 through the home communication network 11. A plurality of devices 30 are arranged in the residence 10, and each device 30 has a communication function. Further, the devices 30 are classified for each place arranged in the residence 10. As will be described later, the arrangement location of the device 30 is a room.

  A person counting sensor 31 is also connected to the management device 20 through the home communication network 11. The number counting sensor 31 counts the number of people in the residence 10 (hereinafter referred to as “the number of people at home”). Therefore, the number counting sensor 31 counts and outputs the number of people at home. However, the person counting sensor 31 may output the person who has left the residence 10 and the person who has entered the residence 10, respectively, and the management apparatus 20 may calculate the number of people at home. In any case, it is necessary to set the number of people at home at the time when the counting by the number counting sensor 31 is started in the number counting sensor 31 or the management device 20. In addition to counting the number of people at home in real time, the number of people counting sensor 31 may adopt a configuration in which the average number of people at home per unit time (for example, 10 to 60 minutes) is rounded off.

  In this embodiment, the number-of-people counting sensor 31 is arranged on the entrance door 12 and the number of people at home in the residence 10 is counted by monitoring the opening and closing of the entrance door 12 and the passage of people. This type of person counting sensor 31 includes a limit switch (not shown) for detecting opening / closing of the front door 12 and a human sensor (including a direction of passage) for a person passing through the door frame of the front door 12. It is possible to adopt a configuration that combines the above (not shown).

  The human sensor includes a configuration using a pyroelectric infrared sensor, a configuration in which a person is detected by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and the number of people passing through the door frame from a moving image captured using a TV camera. Various configurations such as a configuration for detecting the direction of passage can be employed. Note that it is not essential to combine the human sensor and the limit switch that detects opening and closing of the front door 12, and the human sensor may be used alone to detect the entrance and exit of a person.

  Further, as the number counting sensor 31, a configuration in which the number of people in the residence 10 is counted by tracking the flow line of people entering and exiting the entrance, a configuration in which the number of people by entering and exiting the entrance is counted, etc. It is also possible to adopt the following configuration.

  The management device 20 communicates with a display 32 as a presentation device through the home communication network 11. The display device 32 includes, for example, a touch panel, and has a function of instructing an operation of the device 30 arranged in the residence 10 and a function of presenting the operation of the device 30. The display device 32 is also used when various types of information are set in the management device 20. The display device 32 may be provided with a function of inputting and outputting sound. The place where the display device 32 is arranged can be appropriately selected. If the home communication network 11 is wired, the display 32 can be fixed to a wall or the like, and if the home communication network 11 is wireless, the display 32 can be handled at a desired location.

  The management device 20 includes a processor 21 that operates by executing a program, and further includes an interface 22 that communicates with the device 30 and an interface 23 that communicates with the people counting sensor 31 and the display 32. Here, the processor 21 means a configuration including not only a processing device that performs arithmetic processing but also a storage device including a semiconductor memory. In the illustrated example, an interface 22 for a device provided separately from the residence 10 such as the device 30 and an interface 23 for a device attached to the residence 10 such as the number counting sensor 31 and the display 32 are individually described. is doing. However, the interfaces 22 and 23 may be combined into one interface.

  The function of the management apparatus 20 can be expressed as shown in FIG. The management apparatus 20 is provided with a device information acquisition unit 24 that acquires information about each device 30. The device information acquisition unit 24 acquires an operation information acquisition unit 241 that acquires information about whether or not each device 30 is operating (operation information), and location information that acquires an arrangement location (room name) for each device 30. An acquisition unit 242.

  When the device 30 is an electrical device, not only the identification information is assigned to the device 30, but also the identification information is assigned to an outlet (outlet) that supplies power to the device 30 and the arrangement location is associated with the outlet identification information. It is desirable to keep it. In this case, the interface 22 of the management apparatus 20 not only communicates with the device 30 but also communicates with the outlet. That is, the device information acquisition unit 24 also acquires the outlet identification information when acquiring the device 30 identification information.

  Since the outlet is fixed to the wall of the residence 10 or the like, if the arrangement location is associated with the outlet identification information, the management device 20 can extract the arrangement location from the outlet identification information. In other words, by connecting the device 30 to an outlet, the location of the device 30 can be determined from the location of the outlet to which the device 30 is connected.

  In the location information acquisition unit 242, the identification information of the device 30 (or outlet) and the location of the device 30 (or outlet) are registered in advance in association with each other. That is, the location information acquisition unit 242 acquires the identification information of the device 30 (or the outlet), and acquires the arrangement location of the device 30 by replacing the identification information with the arrangement location. A configuration may be adopted in which an arrangement location is set in the device 30 in advance, and the location information acquisition unit 242 directly acquires the arrangement location from the device 30.

  The management device 20 uses the operation information for each device 30 acquired by the device information acquisition unit 24 and the arrangement location for each device 30 to estimate the minimum number of people required to use the device 30. Is provided. The minimum number estimation unit 25 includes a type list 251 in which the device 30 is classified into a plurality of types according to the usage form of the device 30, and the arrangement acquired by the driving information and location information acquisition unit 242 acquired by the driving information acquisition unit 241. A collation unit 252 that collates the place with the type list 251 is provided. Furthermore, the minimum number of persons estimation unit 25 includes a calculation unit 253 that estimates the necessary minimum number of persons using the verification result in the verification unit 252.

  The type list 251 is configured using a storage device provided in the processor 21. The type list 251 stores the identification information of the device 30, the type of the device 30, the type (category) of the device 30, and the arrangement location of the device 30 in association with each other.

  There are three types of devices 30: “Type 0”, “Type 1”, and “Type 2”. “Type 0” means a device that does not require continuous operation and can use the function even in a place where there is no person. “Type 1” means a device that does not need to be operated continuously but can use the function only at the location. “Type 2” is a device that needs to be operated continuously. To perform the operation continuously, at least one person is required.

  In short, “type 0” is a device 30 that is irrelevant to the presence or absence of a person and does not need to be incorporated into the minimum necessary number of people. “Type 1” is related to the presence or absence of a person, but is a device 30 that allows a plurality of people to share one device 30 and is required if any device 30 is operating in one room. Count the minimum number of people as one. Furthermore, “type 2” is a device 30 that is used by one person and is associated with a person on a one-to-one basis. Therefore, the number of persons corresponding to the number of operating devices 30 is the minimum necessary number. A specific example of the device 30 for each type is shown in Table 1.

  The management device 20 includes a home number acquisition unit 26 that acquires the number of people at home counted by the number of people counting sensor 31. Furthermore, the management device 20 includes a determination unit 27 that compares the number of people at home acquired by the number-of-homes acquisition unit 26 with the necessary minimum number of people estimated by the minimum number of people estimation unit 25 and determines whether or not the device 30 is wasted. . The determination unit 27 determines that there is a possibility that the device 30 is being used wastefully when the estimated minimum necessary number is larger than the number of people at home. The management device 20 includes a presentation unit 28 that notifies the display unit 32 of the determination result of the determination unit 27. The configuration of the management device 20 in FIG. 1 is a main part of the management device 20, and the management device 20 includes other configurations.

  The management device 20 includes an operation mode for determining useless use of the device 30 and a setting mode for registering necessary information in the type list 251. Before operating the management apparatus 20 in the operation mode, it is first necessary to create the type list 251 in the setting mode. In the present embodiment, the display 32 is operated to switch between the setting mode and the operation mode. However, the management device 20 may be provided with an operation unit such as a switch, and the setting mode and the operation mode may be switched using the operation unit.

  As described above, the display device 32 can be used to set various types of information in the management device 20. Therefore, in the setting mode, the display device 32 inputs the identification information, type, type, and arrangement location of the device 30 and causes the management device 20 to store the identification information and the arrangement location in the location information acquisition unit 242. The type and type of the device 30 are stored as a type list 251. The identification information and type of the device 30 may be automatically acquired when the management device 20 communicates with the device 30.

  Further, the type of device may be acquired from the database by collating the identification information of the device 30 with a database (not shown). Such a database may be provided in a computer server provided on a public network such as the Internet. In this case, the management apparatus 20 can use the database by communicating with the computer server through the public network.

  As described above, after the necessary information is stored in the type list 251 of the management device 20 in the setting mode, the setting mode is ended using the display device 32, and the operation mode is shifted to.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the management apparatus 20 shifts to the operation mode (S1), the operation information acquisition unit 241 acquires information on whether the device 30 in the residence 10 is operating or not as operation information. (S3). The collation unit 252 collates the driving information acquired by the driving information acquisition unit 241 with the type list 251 and acquires the type and location of the operating device 30. The computing unit 253 of the management device 20 estimates the minimum necessary number of people using the type and location of the device 30 acquired by the matching unit 252 (S4). A method of estimating the necessary minimum number will be described later.

  In addition, the at-home number acquisition unit 26 of the management device 20 acquires the at-home number from the number counting sensor 31 (S5). Here, the processing order of steps S3, S4 and step S5 can be interchanged. Now, let the minimum required number estimated by the calculation unit 253 be nmin, and the number of people acquired by the number-of-homes acquisition unit 26 be nx. When the necessary minimum number of people nmin and the number of people at home nx are obtained, the determination unit 27 compares the two (S6), and if nx <nmin, it is determined that there is a useless device 30, and through the presentation unit 28 The occurrence of waste is presented on the display 32 (S7). If nx ≧ nmin in step S6, it is determined that there is no useless device 30. The above-described operation continues until the management device 20 is instructed to stop (S2).

  By the way, the necessary minimum number of persons nmin is estimated by applying the following rule. As described above, the device 30 of “type 0” is ignored because it does not affect the minimum required number of people nmin. In other words, since the “type 0” device 30 operates regardless of the place where the user is, it does not affect the minimum necessary number of people nmin. For example, the device 30 such as a washing machine operates even when there are no people around it, and therefore does not count as the number of people necessary for use.

  On the other hand, if the devices 30 of “Type 1” and “Type 2” are operating in a place where there is no person, they are used wastefully. Therefore, the minimum number of nmin (i) necessary for using the device 30 without waste is determined in association with the location (room name) of the device 30. Here, i is a parameter for specifying the location. Thus, after calculating | requiring the minimum required number of persons nmin (i) for every arrangement place, the required minimum number of persons nmin (i) calculated | required about each arrangement place in the residence 10 is totaled, and it is set as the required minimum number of persons nmin in the residence 10. .

  The minimum number of people for each placement location is set to “1” for nmin (i) of the location if there is no “type 2” device 30 in operation for each placement location of interest. If there is a “type 2” device in operation at the target location, the minimum required number of users nmin (i) at the location is the number of “type 2” devices in operation. This is because the “type 2” device 30 is one-to-one with the user and can be used by only one person at the time of use.

  On the other hand, the “type 1” device 30 is associated with the placement location on a one-to-one basis, but when there are a plurality of people at the same placement location, the devices 30 are used simultaneously by the plurality of people. Therefore, even if a plurality of “Type 1” devices 30 are operating at one placement location, it is determined that the necessary minimum number of people at the placement location is one.

  Now, a person who is in a living room and is performing a running exercise using an electric treadmill, which is a “Type 2” device 30, watches a TV, which is a “Type 1” device 30. And the case where the air conditioning which is the apparatus 30 of "type 1" is utilized is assumed. In this case, the required minimum number of persons nmin (i) at the arrangement place is one.

  Here, it is assumed that a massage chair that is a “type 2” device 30 is operating in addition to the device 30 at the same location. In this case, the electric treadmill and the massage chair cannot be used simultaneously by one person. Therefore, the necessary minimum number of persons nmin (i) at the arrangement place under such conditions is two.

  The rules for obtaining the minimum required number of persons nmin (i) at the placement location are summarized. If the “type 2” device 30 is operating at the placement location, the necessary minimum number of persons nmin (i) at the placement location is operating regardless of whether the “type 1” device 30 is operating. The number of devices of “Type 2”. Further, if the “type 1” device 30 is operating in the arrangement location and the “type 2” device 30 is not operating in the same arrangement location, the minimum necessary number of persons nmin (i) in the arrangement location is 1. And In short, the relationship between the number of operations of the “type 1” device 30 and the “type 2” device 30 and the required minimum number of arrangements nmin (i) is as shown in Table 2.

  As described above, by using the operation information of the “type 1” device 30 and the “type 2” device 30 for each placement location (room name), the minimum required number of people nmin (i) for each placement location is obtained. Can be sought. If the required minimum number of people nmin (i) for each placement location is obtained, the required minimum number of people nmin (i) for each placement location in the residence 10 is summed, and the required minimum number of people nmin in the residence 10 is obtained.

  Table 3 shows an example of determining whether or not the device 30 is being used in vain using the relationship between the operating device 30 and the number of people at home.

In the column “Presence / absence of waste”, “Yes” indicates that waste is surely generated, and “No” indicates that no waste is estimated. Table 3 will be specifically described below.

  No. 1 in Table 3 shows a state where the television is operating as the device 30 arranged in the living room and the air conditioning is operating as the device 30 arranged in the bedroom. Both the TV and the air conditioner are “type 1” devices 30, and there are no other active devices 30 in the living room and bedroom where they are arranged, so the minimum number of people nmin (living room) required in the living room and the bedroom The necessary minimum number of people nmin (bedroom) is one.

Also, one person cannot watch TV in the living room and use air conditioning in the bedroom at the same time. Therefore, the required minimum number of persons nmin in the residence 10 is estimated by the following calculation.
nmin = nmin (bedroom) + nmin (living room) = 2
Here, assuming that the number of people at home nx is one, nx <nmin (= 2), so use of the device 30 is wasted.

No. 2 in Table 3 shows a state where the television and the exercise equipment such as an electric treadmill are operating as the device 30 arranged in the living room. The television is a “type 1” device 30, and the exercise equipment is a “type 2” device 30. In this case, it is possible for one person to use the exercise equipment at the same time as watching TV in the living room. Therefore, the minimum required number of people in the living room nmin (living room) is one. Since there is no device 30 in operation at another location, the minimum required number of people nmin in the residence 10 is as follows.
nmin = nmin (living room) = 1
Here, if the number of people at home nx is one, nx = nmin, and therefore it is estimated that there is no waste in using the device 30.

No. 3 in Table 3 shows a state where the television and air conditioning are operating as the device 30 arranged in the living room, and the lighting is operating as the device 30 arranged in the bedroom. The television, air conditioning, and lighting are all “type 1” devices 30. In this case, it is possible for one person to use air conditioning at the same time as watching a television in the living room. Also, one person must use lighting in the bedroom. Therefore, the minimum required number of people in the living room nmin (living room) is one person, and the required minimum number of persons in the bedroom nmin (bedroom) is one person. Since there is no device 30 in operation at another location, the minimum required number of people nmin in the residence 10 is as follows.
nmin = nmin (living room) + nmin (bedroom) = 2
Here, since one person cannot exist in the living room and the bedroom at the same time, if the number of people at home is not at least two, the use of the device 30 is wasted. That is, if the number of people at home nx is one, nx <nmin (= 2), so it is estimated that use of the device 30 is wasted.

  No. 4 in Table 3 exemplifies a case where the device 30 is operating in four rooms including a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. That is, it shows a state in which each device 30 of the exercise equipment arranged in the living room, the television arranged in the kitchen, the washing machine arranged in the bathroom, and the lighting arranged in the bedroom is in operation. The washing machine is a “type 0” device 30, the television and lighting are “type 1” devices 30, and the exercise equipment is a “type 2” device 30.

Since the washing machine is “type 0”, it is not included in the calculation of the minimum necessary number of people nmin. In addition, since one other device 30 is operating at each placement location (room name), one person is required at each placement location. That is, the minimum necessary number of people for each arrangement place excluding the bathroom nmin (living room), nmin (kitchen), and nmin (bedroom) are all one. Since there is no device 30 in operation at another location, the minimum required number of people nmin in the residence 10 is as follows.
nmin = nmin (living room) + nmin (kitchen) + nmin (bedroom) = 3
That is, if at least three people are not at home, use of the device 30 is wasted. Here, if the number of people at home nx is two, nx <nmin (= 3), and therefore it is estimated that use of the device 30 is wasted.

  No. 5 in Table 3 exemplifies a case where the device 30 is operating in four rooms including a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, and a bedroom. In addition, the dishwasher, TV, and lighting are operating in the kitchen, the washing machine is operating in the bathroom, the TV, air conditioning, exercise equipment, and vacuum cleaner are operating in the living room, and the TV in the bedroom. It shows a state where the air conditioning is in operation. Since the dishwasher and the washing machine are “type 0”, they are not included in the calculation of the necessary minimum number of people nmin.

  In addition, television, lighting, and air conditioning are “type 1” devices 30, and exercise equipment and vacuum cleaners are “type 2” devices 30. Regarding the kitchen and the bedroom, there is no “type 2” device 30, and it is sufficient that one person exists. In the living room, the “type 1” equipment 30 and the air conditioner are in operation, and in the living room, the “type 2” equipment 30 and the vacuum cleaner are in operation.

For the kitchen and bedroom, only the “Type 1” device 30 is in operation, so two devices 30 are operating, but the minimum number of people nmin (kitchen), nmin ( Each bedroom is one person. Also, regarding the living room, two devices 30 of “Type 1” are in operation and two devices 30 of “Type 2” are in operation, so the required minimum number of people nmin (living room) is two. Become. Since the operating device 30 does not exist in other arrangement locations, the minimum required number of persons nmin in the residence 10 is as follows.
nmin = nmin (living room) + nmin (bedroom) + nmin (kitchen) = 4
That is, if at least four people are not at home, use of the device 30 is wasted. Here, if the number of people at home nx is 4, nx = nmin, so it is estimated that there is no waste in using the device 30.

  By the way, if there is no change in the type and arrangement location of the device 30 in the residence 10, it is possible to obtain in advance the necessary minimum number of people for the combination of devices in operation. Further, the number of operating device combinations is finite. Therefore, if a data table in which the minimum required number of persons is associated with a combination of operating devices is provided, it is possible to determine the minimum required number of users only by comparing the operating devices with the data table. That is, the minimum number of persons estimation unit 25 shown in FIG. 1 can be replaced with a data table. Note that the contents of the data table need to be updated as the number of devices 30 increases or decreases and the location of the devices 30 changes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Housing 24 Equipment information acquisition part 25 Minimum number estimation part 26 At-home number acquisition part 27 Judgment part 28 Presentation part 30 Equipment 32 Display (presentation apparatus)
242 Location information acquisition unit

Claims (8)

  A device information acquisition unit that acquires operation information on whether the device that is disposed in the residence and consumes energy is operating or stopped, and a minimum number of people estimation unit that estimates the minimum number of people required to use the device in operation If the number of people at home is smaller than the required minimum number of people by comparing the minimum number of people estimated by the minimum number of people estimation unit and the number of homes acquired by the home number of people acquisition unit, An energy management apparatus comprising: a determination unit that determines that there is waste in using a device; and a presentation unit that causes a presentation device to present a determination result by the determination unit.   The device information acquisition unit includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires an arrangement location of the device in operation, and the minimum number of people estimation unit is necessary for each of the device arrangement locations acquired by the location information acquisition unit. The energy management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the minimum number of persons is obtained.   The minimum number of people estimation unit classifies the devices into a plurality of types according to the usage form of the devices, and estimates the minimum number of people required to use the devices in operation according to the types of the devices in operation. The energy management device according to claim 1, wherein the energy management device is an energy management device.   The minimum number of people estimation unit classifies devices that are operated when there is a person at the arrangement location and operate regardless of the number of people at the arrangement location into one type, and when the device is operating at the arrangement location 4. The energy management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the minimum required number of persons is estimated as one person.   The minimum number of people estimation unit operates when there is a person at the placement location and classifies the equipment that is used by one person at the placement location into one type, and the equipment operates at the placement location. 4. The energy management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the required minimum number of persons is estimated to be the same as the number of devices operating.   The minimum number of people estimation unit obtains the required minimum number of people for each placement location where the device is operating, and sums the required minimum number of people for each placement location in the entire residence, The energy management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the minimum required number of persons is obtained.   The minimum number of people estimation unit includes a data table in which the necessary minimum number of people is associated with the combination of devices, and the combination of the devices in operation acquired by the device information acquisition unit is collated with the data table. The energy management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a minimum required number of persons is determined.   The minimum number-of-persons estimation unit does not include a device that can be used even in a place where there is no person because the device used for estimating the minimum required number of people does not need to be operated continuously. The energy management apparatus according to any one of 1 to 7.

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