GB2486392A

GB2486392A - Domestic electricity management system

Info

Publication number: GB2486392A
Application number: GB1012699.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Neil O'neil
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-07-29
Filing date: 2010-07-29
Publication date: 2012-06-20
Also published as: GB201012699D0

Abstract

A single integrated Domestic Electricity Distribution And Management System includes a Controlled Lighting Rose 4, a Graded Plug Socket 1,2 and 3 and a Control Tower 5 and 6. Every electrical outlet communicates with the Control Tower, which through management software can control electricity to each outlet either from the national grid or a battery module. The control tower is a white goods product in the form of a kitchen unit. It includes batteries 6 which are charged using off-peak electricity and used at peak periods.

Description

Domestic Electricity Distribution And Management System (DEDAMS)

Specification

The present invention relates to a scalable domestic system that optimises the use of electricity, manages distribution of electricity, reduces use of electricity and efficiently switches electricity consumption from peak to off-peak tariffs. Net result of all these facets is to achieve significant reduction in cost of electricity in domestic dwellings and therefore reduce carbon footprints at the domestic level.

Background

DEDAMS has been invented to solve 2 key energy issues, firstly to stop unnecessary use of electricity, such as that used by standby mode on electrical appliances and secondly to spread use of electricity over off-peak tariffs and thereby reduce the cost of electricity to the consumeii It also has indirect security and safety benefits.

Every night when most people go to bed they leave electrical appliances plugged in. Many of these use electricity even when the appliance is not in use, such as a wireless router, an internet modem, a video player, televisions, stereo equipment, dishwasher etc. Although this consumption of electricity is small compared to usage during the day, over a year it mounts up per household and over millions of households it amounts to a horrendous unnecessary carbon footprint.

Tn most countries power stations run 24 hours per day. However domestic dwellings use most of their electricity during the day, using a peak energy tariff Power generation companies sell off-peak electricity at a great reduced rate during the night. These can amount to up to 50% saving on the peak rate. This paradigm is unlikely to change for many years, as the power generators will continue to produce electricity on a 24 by 7 model. Historically there have been some use of these off-peak tariffs for appliances such as storage heaters; however as these have been inefficient, inflexible and unsightly they have never become very popular. On the whole few consumers take full advantage of the off-peak tariffs. The DEDAMS technology uses off-peak electricity during the day, thereby automatically reducing the cost of electricity.

Another situation that directly relates to this present invention is that more and more stand-alone domestic micro electricity generating systems (e.g. wind turbines, solar power) are being invented and developed. All these systems generate electricity on an ad hoc basis and therefore need to store and distribute the electricity generated in an efficient manner; this requirement is a basic function of DEDAMS and is therefore perfectly placed to integrate all current and future micro electricity generating systems.

Statement of Invention

The DEDAMS system can be installed in any domestic dwelling to reduce unnecessary use of electricity and to reduce the cost of electricity to the consumer. As an additional benefit the system also acts as an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) providing electricity when there is a power-cut or stable electricity when there are inconsistent levels of electricity.

As the system is integrated into the electricity supply of the dwelling it also provides electronically managed trip switches, when there is a fault or overload, as currently provided by a fuse box. The system can be connected to a network so that all system alerts, status reports and financial can be sent to an email address or via text message.

The DEDAJVTS system works on either an automated basis, remote basis or manual basis.

Most dwellings are now crammed with electrical devices. Many devices, even when switched off, use electricity, sometimes through a standby LED or some hibernation mode. Some appliances need to be on 24 x 7, such as a fridge or fish-tank. With so many appliances spread over a household it is not feasible to turn off every appliance not needed at night and to then turn them on again in the morning. Although physically possible is something that most people will not do every single day.

DEDAMS will do this automatically. DEDAMS allows total and automatic control over every electrical outlet in the dwelling, (plug sockets and light fittings), allowing computer programmes to turn off, at night or whilst away from home, all non-critical electrical circuits. This also reduces the risk of fire or electrical malfunctions. DEDAMS also optimises the use of off-peak tariffs to be used during the day, thereby directly reducing the cost of electricity by upto 50%.

DEDAMS will also monitor all electrical appliances that are on to identify malfunctions or potential issues, such as intermittent short circuiting, e.g. when a plug has been accidentally knocked from a firm fitting in an electrical socket. This could prevent a fire or damage to the electrical appliance.

DEDAMS is a white goods product and sits neatly in a kitchen unit, similar to a washing machine, so is aesthetically pleasing besides being functional and ergonomical.

There are 3 main components to DEDAMS; the Control Tower, Controlled Light Rose and the Graded Socket. Each part is unique in its own right, but together complete the DEDAMS system.

The Control Tower is the appliance that fits in a kitchen enclosure or other convenient location, and takes the place of the electricity distribution board in a dwelling, also known as the Consumer Unit or Fuse board. The Control Tower is also expandable so that it can accommodate the energy needs of the larger dwellings.

The Control Light Rose is similar to a normal lighting rose except that is has a unique number controller embedded into it; together with circuitry that communicates with the Control Towet This allows the Control Tower to either turn electricity on or off to the lighting rose and also to provide feedback from the lighting rose back to the Control Tower on the light unit's performance or status.

The Controlled Light Rose also has an option to include an embedded heat detector, smoke detector, and webcam for security and safety reasons. All of these elements run off a rechargeable battery.

The Graded Socket replaces all the normal plug sockets in the dwelling. The system is ideal for new builds, however is easily embedded in existing dwellings as part of a re-wiring effort.

The Graded Socket replaces the normal electric socket in a house and is arranged in sets of three electrical sockets. Therefore a double Graded Socket has 6 electrical sockets and a triple, 9 electrical sockets.

A single socket shall be used as an example to explain how it works and why it is unique. Each electrical socket is colour coded, with a mild colour residue applied over each electric socket to denote its colour and function. There are three colours, Red, Yellow and Green. Each socket also has its own unique number, which when installed maps each electric socket to the Control Tower so that the Control Tower can communicate with and turn on or turn off each electrical socket and receive feedback from each electric socket, similar to that described in the Controlled Lighting Rose functions above.

All appliances that should never be turned off, such as a freezer or burglar alarm, are plugged into the red socket; all appliances that are not critical but often used, such as a light or electrical clock, are plugged into the yellow socket; all appliances that are only needed when used, such as computer or wireless modem, are plugged into the green socket.

All electrically outlets in the dwelling (e.g. Controlled Light Rose and Graded Electric Sockets) have a communication channel, via the electrical wiring, to the Control Tower, which provides the Control Tower with all the feedback from each outlet and also allows the Control Tower to control each outlet. Once wired the Control Tower has total control of all electrical outlets in the dwelling.

The Control Tower has three main components, each within their own compartment but built within one chassis, similar to a fridge freezer.

The bottom compartment stores 12v and br 24v rechargeable batteries, similar to those used in caravans. This battery module' compartment stores between 6 and 10 batteries, dependent on size and rating. This compartment is so designed so that off the shelf batteries can be easily and safely loaded or unloaded by the user.

The central compartment provides the housing for the fuse board together with the inverter and electronics to either charge the batteries or to tum the l2volt or 24 volt Direct Current to 240 Alternate Current which can then be used by the household instead of electricity from the grid. This compartment also provides easy access for resetting tripped fuses, unlike traditional systems which often have the fuse board in inconvenient places such as under the stairs.

The top compartment is the brains of the DEDAMS, which houses the computer module and touch sensitive screens, together with the management and distribution software. The front of the compartment is made of a high-tech touch sensitive computer screen which is split into at least 3 sections.

Area 1 -Dashboard and status indicator -this dashboard shows how much electricity is being used, how much electricity has cost since the last bill, how much free energy has been generated, which zones* in the house are on or off, any appliance showing a wiring or appliance fault or inefficiency, carbon footprint indicator and other status indicators to been seen at a glance.

* A zone is determined by the user. It can be a room, a collection of rooms, a list of individual plugs sockets or lights or type of appliances, e.g. all TV's and computers.

Area 2 -Quick functions -Here are a number of configurable quick options, such as if you are leaving the house to do shopping, touching an icon can tum off all yellow and Green sockets or all light sockets or a specific profile of sockets and lights already defined to go off instantly. An example of a pre-configured profile is a holiday profile when many electric outlets needs to be off for a prolonged period of time, with maybe some lights coming on randomly to give the impression someone is at home. Once the profile in configured the user just presses the icon as they leave the dwelling.

Area 3 -Command Module -This is where you customise your Control Tower, such as entering you energy tariff details, your quick function profiles, the reports you want and how you want to receive them (email, SMS, etc) and where you programming the zones in your dwelling that you want to control or monitor. This is also where all computer security, such as biometric authentication, is managed to protect the system from unauthorised usage.

Downloads are also managed here. Downloads will include things such as all the sunrise and sunset times, so you can programme profiles that turn lights off at sunrise or on at sunset.

This is also where the Control Tower is programmed on what electric sockets or lights roses to run when the unit is running from the batteries, which have been charged up over night using off-peak electricity.

It is also possible to programme appliance that use huge amounts of electricity, such as an electric cooker or immersion heater to bypass the battery pack so as to pull electricity directly from the grid rather than drain the batteries in the Control Tower.

Also if the Control Tower has a feed from an external free electricity supply, such as a solar panel, and the supply has charged the battery pack above a configured threshold, then the Command Module will automatically switch the power source from the grid to the battery power pack.

The Command Module will also push electricity back into the grid when generated or at least when the battery pack is fully charged and electricity is still being generated.

The Command Module is responsible for all the distribution, monitoring and management of electricity and components, such as light rose webcams, of the DEDAMS system.

The Command Module can be connected to the Internet to allow secure remote access (e.g. using encrypted protocols) and the ability to review and download reports and bills.

The Command Module is developed using web technologies which allows the user to access it securely (using encryption protocols) and remotely, using a traditional web browser, in order to programme, set monitor the household, including the webcams in each Controlled Light Rose. The user will also be able to access and download system and financial reports. As a browser is being used this remote access can be from any computer connected to the Internet or a mobile phone.

Where a dwelling has a high consumption of electricity it can add an additional battery module' to the DEDAMS system. This unit is the same size as the Control Tower but only contains batteries, potentially up to 30 batteries.

The invention will now be described in details with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is the on facing view of a single Graded Socket. The image is not colour, but area 1 is in a mild red surround, area 2 is in a mild orange surround, area 3 is in a mild green surround. Each graded socket in the DEDAMS system has a unique number (4), which is used to identified it to the Control Tower. Normal plugs go into the normal electrical sockets (5) Figure 2 is the facing view of a double Graded Socket, which is just double the size of a single Graded Socket.

Figure 3 is an overhead view of a Graded Socket to show that the number (1) for each socket can be manually changed through the rotating wheel (2).

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a Controlled Lighting Rose showing unique unit number (2) controlled by the rotating wheel (3), with optional embedded wcbcam (1), optional smoke detector (5) or/and optional heat detector (4). The normal cable to the light unit feeds through the centre hole (6).

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the Control Tower which shows Command Module (1) and its

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three screens; dashboard (4) Configuration screen (5) and Quick function screen (6). The middle of the unit has the electronic Fuse-board (7) and inverter compartment (2). The lower compartment (3) stores all the batteries.

Figure 6 is a diagram of the Control Tower showing the three components showing the Command module (micro computer) at (1) and the related set of screens (2). The central compartment shows the fuse-board (3), inverter/converter (4) and current control circuitry (5). The batteries (6) are shown in the lower compartment.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the Control Tower extension battery module' showing all batteries (1) and a screen (2) to show batteries module health status.

Figure 8 is a reverse view of the Control Tower showing where the mains supply from the grid enters the unit (1) and where standalone energy generating systems, such as from a wind turbine, enter the unit (2).

Besides efficiently and quickly turning of appliances that unnecessarily use electricity, and proving real-time feedback on electricity being used and a rolling electricity bill indicator, a unique function of the Control Tower is to charge the batteries in the battery module' (and any extension battery module) overnight using off-peak electricity. Then when the peak period starts the Control Tower automatically switches to the battery module to provide the required electricity to the dwelling, as defined by the switch-over profile. The capacity of the battery module in the Control Tower should be configured to provide at least 4 hours of standard electrical use, e.g. not heavy duty appliances such as immersion heater or electric cookeii Once the battery pack has reached a certain level (set by the switch-over profile) then electricity supply will automatically be switched from the batteries to the grid. This will ensure that around 4 hours per day of electricity will be provided at the off-peak rate.

As DEDAMS will be based on a computer it will have authentication options so that children cannot reprogram it when their parents have cut supplies to things in their room such as computers or televisions. Another advantage is if you rent rooms you will be able to confirm exactly how much electricity your lodgers use.

DEDAMS will also protect sensitive equipment if there are power surges or inconsistent current, as it also works as a UPS. It will also protect computers and their data if there is a sudden power cut.

DEDAMS can also be programmed to turn lights and appliances, such as a radio, on and off at certain times to indicate that the household is not vacant, thereby acting as a deterrent to burglars.

Claims

Claims 1. A single integrated system (Domestic Electricity Distribution And Management System -DEDAMS) for a domestic dwelling (to include outbuildings) that optimises; distributes; controls; monitors and manages electricity as well as providing safety and security features that monitor and protect the household, based on the user's configuration settings and requirements.
2. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that includes a newly designed domestic lighting rose that can communicate with DEDAMS for electricity and diagnostic management.
3. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that includes a newly designed domestic lighting rose that can monitor the status of a room from threats of smoke, fire and unauthorised intrusion or unauthorised usage.
4. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that includes a newly designed electrical plug socket that can communicate with DEDAMS for electricity and diagnostic management.
5. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that includes a newly designed electrical plug socket that has a colour coded priority system that determines the priority use of electrical appliances.
6. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that provides every electrical outlet in a dwelling, such as a plug socket or light, a unique identify to allow individual control, monitoring and management of every electrical outlet individually or in groups of pre-defined profiles.
7. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that manages and controls electricity flow to every electrical outlet, such as electric sockets or lights, in a domestic dwelling.
8. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that includes a full suite of monitoring, management and control software for local and remote usage.
9. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that has a discrete communication channel to every electrical outlet in a dwelling.
10. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that can accommodation current and newly developed batteries to store and distribute DC and AC electrical currents around a dwelling.
11. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that monitors the performance and efficiency of all electrical appliances in a household.
12. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that through feedback from electrical appliances identifies electrical issues and manages them or sends alerts to householder(s).
13. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that can receive and process feedback from individual electrical appliances within the dwelling.
14. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that stores electricity generated through an off-peak tariff to provide it to a domestic dwelling during peak times.
15. A single integrated system according to claim I that stores electricity generated by stand-alone micro generation systems such as wind turbines and solar panels to provide electricity back to the grid or to the household instead of taking electricity from the grid.
16. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that provides an Uninterrupted Power Supply to a dwelling in the event of a power cut or degradation of the electricity supply.
17. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that electronically manages electrical circuit breakers for monitoring and resetting functions.
18. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that can be managed remotely, automatically or manually
19. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that can send alerts, reports or information to external mediums such as text messages, mobile phone, remote computer or email.
20. A single integrated system according to claim I that can determine when an electrical appliance is not performing appropriately, such as intermittently short-circuiting, and where a danger to the household or damage to the appliance is possible, stop the flow of electricity to that appliance and at the same time send a pre-configured alert.
21. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that provides real-time visual alerts and status information locally and remote to the dwelling.
22. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that can control the distribution and management of electricity in a dwelling at the touch of a single icon or mouse click.
23. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that can be fully configurable to the needs of any dwellings electrical requirements.
24. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that can be automatically upgraded; patched and updated via the Internet.
25. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that is scalable so that additional battery modules can be added.
26. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that provides electricity consumption reports, either in real-time or projected.
27. A single integrated system according to claim 1 that allows all types of electrical appliances to be added to or removed from battery or grid electrical sources.