ES2394846A1 - Method and device for overall monitoring and control of the energy efficiency of buildings and homes - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for reducing overall energy consumption through the use of a remote device or sensory network and of open information, which encourages reduced consumption in building units or individual homes. Said scalable and auto-configurable network carries out the overall surveillance, monitoring and control of energy efficiency and sound insulation of buildings and homes by means of self-contained systems or individual cells located in each building or home, which consist of sensors (for temperature, humidity, electromagnetic and acoustic radiation, and meters for electricity and fuel flow) and processing, storage and communication units. Said network can transmit the measurements to a data processing center (central system), and the individual cells may be owned by each of the users of said network. The invention is additionally characterized in that the aforementioned network can be decentralized and transparent to each and every one of the individual cells (point-to-point configuration), and can constitute a neural network based on a shared executable program in the respective individual cell or via an Internet site in a processing center, wherein each network user can obtain information from the individual cell of said user and can access the information from all or some of the network cells separate from that of said user.

Description

Procedure and device for global monitoring and control of the

energy efficiency of buildings and homes

5

Object of the invention

The object of the present invention is a globalized method and device of

Consistent building and home energy efficiency monitoring

in one or more individual systems consisting of the following elements, which

they can

be fed by a or several batteries or be connected to the net

1 o

electric:

one-

One or more measurement acquisition units with one or more sensors

temperature, one or more humidity sensors, one or more sensors

electromagnetic radiation (from the frequency of x-rays to the wave

long radio,

Y preferably since a length from wave of 1 o

fifteen

nanometers up to 1 millimeter), one or more acoustic sensors, clock, system

of geographical positioning by satellite (GPS), analog transducer-

digital, digital memory, communication system with another unit that can

Be by cable or wirelessly. This type of unit (external unit) is

It is intended to stay outside the building or house, outdoors.

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2- One or more measurement acquisition units with one or more sensors

temperature,

one or more sensors moisture, one or more sensors from

electromagnetic radiation (from the frequency of x-rays to the wave

long radio,

Y preferably since a length from wave of 1 o

nanometers

until one millimeter), one or more sensors acoustic, watch,

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analog-digital transducer, digital memory, and communication system

with another unit that can be wired or wireless. This type of

unit (internal unit) is destined to the interior of the building or housing.

3-

A unity from measure from the power electric consumed in

conditioning

(refrigeration or heating) in the edification or

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living place, with digital memory and with communication system with other

unit that can be wired or wireless.

4-A unit of measurement of the flow of gas or combustible liquid that is consumed in the building or house for heating and sanitary hot water, with digital memory and with communication system with another unit that can be wired or wireless.

5-A unit for collecting the data obtained by the units described in points (1-a) through (1-d), with memory. Said unit has one or more communication channels with the internal and external units, which can be by cable or wirelessly. In addition, said unit may have one or more communication and data transmission channels via cable or wirelessly to other units or other systems, be it a storage and processing unit, another individual system, or a central system of data collection and processing. Also, said unit may have one or more communication channels with other collection units.

Another object of the present invention is a globalized method and device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes as described in the previous object, characterized in that each of the units of the system or systems described can be identifiable by a code that it can be (without restriction) bright, colored, acoustic, alphanumeric, digital, bar, matrix, so that the system processing unit can identify them. In addition, the system or systems described can be identifiable by a code that can be (without restriction) bright, colored, acoustic, alphanumeric, digital, bar, matrix. The object of this invention is also a procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes as described in the previous objects, characterized in that the individual system or systems can have a data storage and processing unit, such as it can be (without restriction) a personal computer, which can calculate the differences between the readings of the analog sensors of the internal and external units carried out in analogous time intervals. In addition, the object of this invention is a globalized method and device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes as it has been

5 1 O

described in the foregoing objects, characterized in that the system or systems described constitute individual measurement acquisition cells that can communicate with each other by cable or wirelessly. Regardless of the immediately preceding object, a globalized method and device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes as described has also been the subject of the present invention, characterized in that the system or systems described constitute individual cells for acquiring measures that They can communicate with a central cable processing system or wirelessly. In addition, each individual system or measuring cell can host a program to 1-process both its own data and the data of another or other measuring cells,

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2- calculate and represent any relationship, such as but not limited to, the relationship between the differences in the measures mentioned in claim 4 and the electric and fuel flows consumed in the building or house,

3-

design spatial or temporal patterns for collecting the measurements of other measurement cells by the user of said individual cell,

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4- set obtained. layers from information geographic to split from the data

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A further object of this invention is a globalized method and device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes as described in the immediately preceding object, characterized in that all individual measurement cells are communicated with a central processing system of such that said system 1-performs the requirement of downloading or reading from each individual unit within time intervals that are distributed regularly over time, such as within a

interval of several hours each day, but so that the request of

Download can be done at a random or scheduled time within the daily time interval in which the reading is performed.

2-calculates and represents any relationship, for example but without restriction, the relationship between the differences of the measures mentioned in claim 4 and the electric and fuel flows consumed in the building or housing, at the request of any particular user

3-allows to design and represent spatial or temporal patterns of collection of the measurements of one or more measurement cells by the user of any individual cell.

4-allows to create layers of geographic information from the data obtained, on demand of the user of each individual cell.

5-establishes priorities between the requests of the users associated with the reproducibility of the data sent by their individual cells, the greater or lesser presence of connection failures with their cells, or the degree of agreement of the readings of an individual cell with the of other cells located in the geographical vicinity of it.

It should also be considered object of the present invention a procedure for determining the thermal efficiency of a building or house using the procedure and device described in all the above objects, characterized in that by calculating the following coefficients, a rating is associated with the building or housing according to its uses:

where

A is the constructed area of the house or building.

W / is the total unified power that the house or building consumes in heating at the moment of the ith reading when the temperature difference between the interior and the exterior is positive (warm interior).

w; -is the total unified power that the house consumes in refrigeration at the time of the ith reading when the temperature difference between the interior and the exterior is negative (cold interior).

nt and n; They refer to the initial and final indexes of all the readings that resulted in a positive temperature difference over a year, while n1-and n ~ correspond to the readings with negative difference.

111 '/ is the difference in temperature of the interior minus that of the outside.

111'¡-is the temperature difference of the outside minus that of the inside.

Background of the invention

This invention belongs to the fields of environmental engineering, energy engineering, telecommunications, and by extension to economics and anthropology.

A horizon in which the world population reaches 9x109 individuals, with an energy consumption comparable to that currently developed countries (about 200 GJ / year per person) would multiply by 4 the current global consumption of 0.5 ZJ / year (1 ZJ = 1021J). Knowing that the total annual solar radiation over the entire surface of the planet is 5493 ZJ / year, this horizon (2x1021 J / year) represents 0.0363% of the total solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface per year.

The variation of solar irradiation is approximately between 1365.3 and 1366.7 W / m2 with quasi-periodic fluctuations of medium frequency between 10 and 11 years

(10.7 years). This variation of 1.3 W / m2 in periods of about ten or eleven years is approximately 0.095% in average volume. The planet, and fundamentally the biosphere as an evolutionarily adapted organism, has

shown throughout history that an obvious has been studied

tolerance or adaptation to this fluctuation, which represents on average a

0.095% / 10.7 = 0.0089% per year.

Since the energy consumption of the human species is finally dissipated in

5

heat and injected into the environment (atmosphere and hydrosphere, fundamentally),

whatever the origin and nature of the energy sources used, said

Energy injection is reversed in an increase in evaporation (increase in

atmospheric water vapor concentration) and a net surface heating

of the planet, which to maintain the thermal equilibrium must radiate it outside in

1 o

long waveform (infrared). The horizon of the 2 ZJ / year injected by our

species represent 4 times more of the variability of annual solar irradiation, and

would be fundamentally invested in (1) a direct increase in temperature

surface, (2) a net increase in atmospheric water vapor (main agent

greenhouse effect), and (3) an increasing increase in COz emissions if

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fossil fuels are still used, with the resulting multiplier effect

of heating due to long-wave radiation retention associated with

factors (2) and (3). These figures indicate that human action, only from the point

of thermal vision (2 ZJ / year against the solar fluctuation of 5.22 ZJ every 10 years), goes

to be completely outside the limits of fluctuations and natural impacts

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known that have not been catastrophic for the whole biosphere.

On the other hand, our species is the one that consumes the most natural resources for

individual. The historical evolution of general human tolerance to (1) discomfort

associated with humidity levels and temperature differences between the

individual (about 36-37 ° C) and the environment (usually between -5 and 40 ° C, although

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it can reach between -30 and 50 ° C, with relative humidity between 5 and 95%), and

(2) the lack of light shows a clearly decreasing trend. In effect, the

energy consumption in the conditioning and lighting of buildings and homes

has been increasing dramatically as the standard of living has gone

progressing in developed societies.

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Currently, said consumption in conditioning and lighting associated with said

   limited human tolerance constitutes the world's largest energy sink that

Produces our species: most of the 200 GJ / year that each person

currently consumes (more or less stabilized for about three

decades) in developed countries, investments are made in conditioning and

illumination. Said consumption is so important in public buildings or

commercial (public administration, industrial buildings, offices, hospitals, etc.)

5

as in residential buildings or homes, although each sector exhibits a

different degree of energy use.

It is therefore our responsibility as a self-conscious species to limit our

own energy consumption, to avoid the expected impact and consequences

catastrophic action outside the known natural limits.

1 o

A primary global objective is to limit energy consumption related to

habitability of the building, this being also the most inefficient and improvable

among all the sectors in which such consumption can be classified. A limitation

responsible for global consumption in buildings could reduce to less than

half the world energy horizon (M. Raman,

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http: //www.di.net/articles/archive/3 097 [).

A key driving element towards the aforementioned global objective is the

The most open, transparent and quantitative information. Ideally bliss

information could be configurable and immediately accessible to users or

responsible for each and every one of the building units on their

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individual energy efficiency, and can also receive information

configurable at local, regional, or global level over the rest of the network. The present

The invention focuses on a procedure for providing the referred information.

The benefits of such information are analyzed in the following.

25

Description of the invention

This invention describes a method and a device for reducing consumption.

global energy The device consists of a relocated system or network

sensory and open information, which favors and enhances an objective of

reduction of consumption in building units or individual homes. Bliss

30

network performs global surveillance, monitoring or control of energy efficiency

   and the sound insulation of buildings and homes by autonomous systems

or individual cells located in each building or dwelling, and can be scalable and self-configurable as more cells are added to said network. Each individual cell (hereinafter CI) consists of sensors (temperature, humidity, electromagnetic and acoustic radiation, electric and fuel flow meters) and storage, process and communication units. Said network may transmit the measurements to a data processing center (central system), and the Cls may be owned by each of the users of said network.

Said Cls may consist of five basic units or elements, as indicated in Figure 1: (1) External unit of measurement, (2) unit of internal measurement, and (3) units of measurement of electrical and fuel consumption ( gas or liquid), and (4) process and storage unit, and (5) communication unit. The measurement units send the measurement data to the process unit or system, so that either the IC (using locally installed software) or a central system (server, 6) with the necessary redundancy can monitor the difference thermal between the exterior and interior of a building or house and find its correlation with energy consumption, as well as storing the environmental acoustic levels to which a building or house is subjected, the internal acoustic level, and the differences between the interior and the outside. At the request of the user of any CI, the server can generate information on local, partial, temporary, global measures, and any type of correlation with demographic, economic, or geophysical variables for the global knowledge of energy efficiency and acoustic insulation of buildings and housing, and its relationship with the environment.

As an additional feature of this invention, the aforementioned network can be decentralized, totally or partially transparent between each and every single cell (point-to-point configuration), and constitute a neural network with autonomous nodes (servers) based on a shared program executable in the individual cell itself or through an internet site in a processing center, where each user of the network can obtain information from their individual cell and access the information of all or a part of the cells of the network other than yours.

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Through this invention, the user can with a visual stroke not only appreciate the quantitative effect of their actions on the evolution of the energy performance of their building unit (housing or building under their responsibility), but can compare it with their local environment (neighbors or fellow citizens) or global, perform statistics and analysis, and quickly establish savings plans assisted by a system or processing systems (servers). The user can declare the type of conditioning and lighting system used in his home or building, compare it with those of other users, and plan it. The information contained in the network can also be made transparent to any external user who wishes to plan their own home or building without previously having a CI by means of a procedure that can be but without being restricted to prior payment or restricted priority access.

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Moreover, the same conditioning or lighting system of the house or building can be optimally and automatically configured based on the information of your CI and the surrounding Cls. In this way, a rational self-configurable design of the conditioning or lighting systems can lead a set of buildings or homes to evolve towards global states optimized by artificial learning.

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Description of the figures Figure 1: (1) External unit of measurement, (2) unit of internal measurement, and (3) units of measurement of electrical and fuel consumption (gas or liquid), and (4) unit of process and storage, (5) communication unit (router), (6) server or central processing unit (data center).

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Figure 2: Sketch of a graphic representation of the cycle [temperature difference] - [instantaneous power consumed] in a house over a year.

30

Embodiment of the invention Examples:

   Example 1 (acquisition of measures).

In a first example, an individual cell acquires 24 measurements daily

temporary, at regular intervals of 1 hour, of the set of variables (a)

temperature, (b) relative humidity, (e) luminosity (electromagnetic irradiation in

the visible spectrum) and (d) acoustic intensity of the exterior environment of a home and

5

of a representative point of the interior, by means of the sensors (1) and (2) of the figure

1, and sends the encoded data of said measurements to the storage unit and

process (4, for example a personal computer). Simultaneously, said cell

acquires 72 measures of energy flow consumed in the house at intervals

20 minutes, using the unit (3) consisting of a clamp

1 o

ammeter located in the general electrical connection cable of the house and

ultrasonic clamp flowmeters installed in the general supply pipe

of gas and / or fuel of the house. Unit (4) performs unit conversion

physical, calculates the total power consumed by assigning the average value

of three consecutive readings to the time point of measurement of units (1) and (2)

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closest to the second of the measurements sent by the unit (3) in the interval of

one hour, calculate the integral of the power (energy used in one hour, or number

of kWh employees) using three points, and stores the values of all measurements

as well as the time at which they were made. Once a day, the outdoor unit (1)

Measure your geographical position using your GPS system, and send

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the data to the unit (4). The server (6) sends to the unit (4) through the router (5)

a request to read the measurements once a day at a random time

within a time interval of 100 minutes set or preset in the day.

The unit (4) downloads a coded data matrix on the server (6)

in 24 values of temperature, relative humidity, luminosity and acoustic intensity

25

inside and outside the house, instantaneous power consumed, energy

consumed, as well as the time and geographical position of the cell.

Example 2 (request for information).

At some point, a user makes a request for information about the

evolution of the interior-exterior temperature difference of your home in

30

relationship with your energy consumption, over a day, to an intemet site

predetermined. The system returns a graph in which abscissa is

   represents the power consumed in W and in ordered the temperature difference

(Figure 2). This graph will have an approximately closed cycle form between the same time of one day and the next, for a certain internal day a week (for example, between a Tuesday and a Wednesday). Then, the user makes an analogous request, but for an interval of one week. The system returns a graph 5 (see Figure 2) in which it observes the difference between the cycles corresponding to working days and the weekend. At another time, the user makes another similar request for a time interval of one year. Now observe how the daily and weekly cycles move through different regions of the plane, finally establishing an approximately closed annual cycle. The user is now interested in comparing the daily cycle of his home with that of other neighbors in his environment; It sends the request to the system by establishing a circle of a certain radius chosen by it (the system becomes slower the larger the radius is), around its geographical position on a map represented in a window of the website. The system returns a representation that reflects the

15 statistical average of the cycles of all the individual cells contained within the circle drawn by the user, by means of intensities of a certain color corresponding to certain statistical frequencies, and their own cycle superimposed on said representation. Thus, observe the deviation of its cycle from the average of its surroundings.

20 Example 3 (thermal coefficients of a house or building).

Another user makes a request about the energy efficiency of your home to a predetermined website. You are interested in a global number, to compare it with the average of your community. To do this, declare the number N of people who live in their home and their constructed area A, and the system calculates

25 the following coefficients:

1 i = n ~ w + 1 i = n2 w: -

e + = - L e - = - L _l_

_l_

N · A i = n: 11T + 'N · A i = n! 11T

l l

where

w; + is the total unified power that the house consumes in heating at the time of the ith reading when the temperature difference between the interior and the exterior is positive (hot interior).

w; -is the total unified power that the house consumes in refrigeration at the time of the ith reading when the temperature difference between the interior and the exterior is negative (cold interior).

nt and n; They refer to the initial and final indexes of all the readings that resulted in a positive temperature difference over a year, while n1-and n ~ correspond to the readings with negative difference.

111 '/ is the difference in temperature of the interior minus that of the outside.

! 11'¡-is the temperature difference of the outside minus that of the inside.

The e + and e-coefficients reflect the degree of energy efficiency of housing use by its inhabitants. The user can compare his two coefficients with those of his surroundings, and determine quantitatively if his house is "cold" or "hot" in function of which e + is higher than the average of his surroundings (and e-lower) or that e-be higher than the average of your environment (yy e + lower), respectively. These coefficients would be associated with the energy rating of the house in a quantitative and irrefutable way and could influence its price. In this way, the user could demand by contract some coefficients n + = N · e + and n- = N · e-maximums at the time of acquiring a home based on its price.

Claims (1)

 Claims 1-Procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes consisting of one or more individual systems consisting of the following elements, which can be powered by one or more batteries or connected to the power grid:

to.

One or more measurement acquisition units with one or more temperature sensors, one or more humidity sensors, one or more electromagnetic radiation sensors (from the frequency of X-rays to the long radio wave, and preferably from a length of wavelength of 1 O nanometers up to 1 millimeter), one or more acoustic sensors, clock, satellite geographical positioning system (GPS), analog-digital transducer, digital memory, communication system with another unit that can be cable or wireless way This type of unit (external unit) is intended to be housed outside the building or house, outdoors.

b.

One or more measurement acquisition units with one or more temperature sensors, one or more humidity sensors, one or more electromagnetic radiation sensors (from the frequency of X-rays to the long radio wave, and preferably from a length wavelength of 1 O nanometers up to 1 millimeter), one or more acoustic sensors, clock, analog-digital transducer, digital memory, and communication system with another unit that can be wired or wireless. This type of unit (internal unit) is destined to the interior of the building or house.

C.

A unit of measurement of the electrical power consumed in conditioning (cooling or heating) in the building or house, with digital memory and with communication system with. another unit that can be wired or wireless.

d.

A unit of measurement of the flow of gas or combustible liquid that is consumed in the building or house for heating and sanitary hot water, with digital memory and with system of

communication with another unit that can be wired or wireless. and. A unit for collecting the data obtained by the units described in points (1-a) through (1-d), with memory. Said unit has one or more communication channels with the internal and external units, which can be by cable or wirelessly. In addition, said unit may have one or more communication and data transmission channels via cable or wirelessly to other units or other systems, be it a storage and processing unit, another individual system, or a central system of data collection and processing. Also, said unit may have one or more communication channels with other collection units. 2-Procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the units of the system or systems described can be identifiable by a code that can be (without restriction) luminous, of color, acoustic, alphanumeric, digital, bar, matrix. 3-Procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the system or systems described can be identifiable by a code that can be (without restriction) bright, colored, acoustic , alphanumeric, digital, bar, matrix.
4-Procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes according to claims 1, 2 and 3 characterized in that the individual system or systems may have a data storage and processing unit, such as (without restriction) a personal computer, which can calculate the differences between the readings of the analog sensors of the internal and external units carried out in analogous time intervals. 5- 6- 7-
8- Procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 4 characterized in that the system or systems described constitute individual cells for acquiring measures that can communicate with each other by cable or wirelessly . Procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 4 characterized in that the system or systems described constitute individual cells for the acquisition of measures that can communicate with a central cable processing system or wirelessly. Procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 characterized in that each individual system or measuring cell can house a program for

to.

process both the own data and the data of another or other measuring cells,

b.

calculate and represent any relationship, such as but not limited to, the relationship between the differences in the measures mentioned in claim 4 and the electric and fuel flows consumed in the building or house,

C.

design spatial or temporal patterns for collecting the measurements of other measurement cells by the user of said individual cell,

d.

establish layers of geographic information from the data obtained.

Procedure and globalized device for monitoring the energy efficiency of buildings and homes according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 characterized in that all individual measurement cells are communicated with a central processing system, such that said system

to.

performs the download or read requirement from each individual unit within time intervals that are distributed regularly over time, such as within a range of several hours each day, but so that the download request can be made in a random or programmed moment within the daily time interval in which the reading is made.

b.

calculates and represents any relationship, for example but without restriction, the relationship between the differences of the measures mentioned in claim 4 and the electric and fuel flows consumed in the building or housing, at the request of any particular user

C.

allows to design and represent spatial or temporal patterns of collection of the measurements of one or more measurement cells by the user of any individual cell.

d.

allows to create layers of geographic information from the data obtained, on demand of the user of each individual cell.

and.

it establishes priorities between the requests of the users associated with the reproducibility of the data sent by their individual cells, the greater or lesser presence of connection failures with their cells, or the degree of agreement of the readings of an individual cell with those of others cells located in the geographical vicinity of it.

9- Procedure for determining the thermal efficiency of a building or housing using the method and device described in claims 1 to 8 characterized in that by calculating the following coefficients, a qualification is associated with the building or housing according to its uses: 1i = n2 w ~ r = -L _1__ A i = n! fl.T- '
where A is the constructed area of the house or building. w; + is the total unified power that the house or building consumes in heating at the moment of the ith reading when the difference of temperature between inside and outside is positive (warm inside). w; -is the total unified power that the house consumes in refrigeration at the time of the ith reading when the temperature difference between the interior and the exterior is negative (cold interior). nt and n; they refer to the initial and final indexes of all the readings that resulted in a positive temperature difference over a year, 1 O while n1-y n; correspond to the readings with negative difference. 111 '/ is the difference in temperature of the interior minus that of the outside.
111; -is the difference in temperature of the outside minus that of the inside.