JP2013153567A - Energy management apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an energy management apparatus that prompts a user to reduce a power usage.SOLUTION: An energy management apparatus 1 includes an acquisition section 112 for acquiring a power usage by an electric load 3, and an interface section 121 for acquiring an operational state of the electric load 3. A history of the power usage acquired by the acquisition section 112 and a history of the operational state of the electric load 3 acquired via the interface section 121 are stored in a storage section 122. While the power usage of a specific electric load 3 stored in the storage section 122 is displayed on a display device 13, when requested by an operation section 125 to display the operational history of the electric load 3, an operation section 123 reads out from the storage section 122 and displays to the display device 13 the history of the operational state of the electric load 3.

Description

  The present invention aims at encouraging a user of an energy consuming device to reduce the amount of energy used, and makes the user recognize the usage state of the energy consuming device, and causes the computer to function as the energy management device. Is related to the program.

  Conventionally, a device that visualizes the transition of energy usage per unit time has been proposed for the purpose of encouraging users of energy consuming equipment to reduce energy usage (hereinafter referred to as “energy saving behavior”). (For example, see Patent Document 1). The technique described in Patent Document 1 is a display unit that associates an actual value of energy use amount in a predetermined period unit ("Energy use actual amount" in Patent Document 1) and history information that implements "energy saving measure". The structure to display is adopted. The “energy saving measure” is information in which an operation for saving energy is associated with each place or energy consuming device, and is registered in advance in the energy saving measure registration means.

JP 2010-271915 A (paragraphs 0020-0024)

  By the way, the technique described in Patent Document 1 requires that “energy saving measure” is registered in advance in the energy saving measure registration means. For this reason, it is necessary to perform an operation for determining an “energy saving measure” for each location and type of energy consuming device, and an operation for registering the determined “energy saving measure” in the energy saving measure registration means.

  On the other hand, buildings that use energy consuming devices usually have a plurality of energy consuming devices, and the types and number of energy consuming devices differ depending on the building. Moreover, the utility by a user using an energy consuming apparatus changes with users. Therefore, it is not preferable to register the same “energy saving measure” uniformly in the energy saving measure registration means. In other words, the configuration of the energy consuming device differs depending on the building, and the utility for the operation of the energy consuming device varies depending on the user. Therefore, it is difficult to appropriately determine the “energy saving measure” in advance.

  The present invention provides an energy management device that prompts a user to take action to reduce the amount of energy used in the entire building in consideration of the configuration of the energy consuming device used in the building and the utility of the energy consuming device for the user. It is another object of the present invention to provide a program for causing a computer to function as an energy management apparatus.

  An energy management device according to the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires energy usage by an energy consuming device, an interface unit that acquires an operating state of the energy consuming device, a history of energy usage acquired by the acquisition unit, and the A storage unit that stores a history of the operating state of the energy consuming device acquired through the interface unit, and a display device that associates the history of the energy usage and the history of the operating state of the energy consuming device stored in the storage unit And an arithmetic unit to be displayed.

  The energy management apparatus further includes an operation unit that performs an operation of instructing the calculation unit to display content of the display device, and the calculation unit displays the energy usage amount of the energy consuming device on the display device. It is preferable to have a function of reading a history of the operating state of the energy consuming device instructed by the operation unit from the storage unit and displaying the history on the display device.

  In this energy management apparatus, the interface unit has a function of communicating with a server that provides information related to weather through a communication network, and the calculation unit displays the energy usage amount of the energy consuming device on the display device. In the state, it is preferable to have a function of displaying information on the weather acquired from the server side by side with the amount of energy used.

  The energy management apparatus further includes a prediction calculation unit that estimates a reduction rate of energy usage when the operating state of the energy consuming device is changed, and the calculation unit is estimated by the prediction calculation unit on the display device. It is preferable to have a function of displaying the energy consumption reduction rate and the operation state of the energy consuming device in association with each other.

  A program according to the present invention includes a computer, an acquisition unit that acquires energy usage by an energy consuming device, an interface unit that acquires an operating state of the energy consuming device, and a history of energy usage acquired by the acquisition unit, A storage unit that stores a history of the operating state of the energy consuming device acquired through the interface unit, a history of energy usage stored in the storage unit, and a history of the operating state of the energy consuming device are displayed in association with each other It is made to function as a calculation part displayed on an apparatus.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to prompt the user to take an action to reduce the amount of energy used in the entire building in consideration of the configuration of the energy consuming device used in the building and the utility of the energy consuming device for the user. There is an advantage of becoming. That is, rather than giving users measures to reduce the amount of energy used by energy consuming devices, users themselves think about which energy consuming devices should be operated and how energy consumption will be reduced. By giving necessary information to the user, it is possible to encourage the user to take energy-saving action.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows the example of the operation | movement history screen in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in the same as the above. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating a second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display in the same as the above. It is a figure which shows another example of a display in the same as the above. 10 is a diagram showing a display example in Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display same as the above.

  Embodiment described below demonstrates the case where an energy consuming apparatus is an electrical load and the energy usage is a power usage. However, the energy consuming device may be a gas consuming device using fuel gas or a device using tap water. Tap water generally does not use energy, but it can be handled equivalent to the amount of electricity used or the amount of gas flow if it pays attention to the characteristics that consumers pay for the amount of medium used. It is. In addition, depending on the configuration of the electric system, there are cases where the amount of power used by the solar power generation device or the fuel cell or the amount of power stored in the storage battery is taken into consideration for the amount of power used. A description will be given of a configuration that does not take into account the amount of power generation or the amount of electricity stored.

  In the following, the case where the building is a detached house will be described. However, the building may be selected from an apartment house, an office building, a commercial building, and the like.

(Embodiment 1)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the power usage is measured for each branch circuit Lb branched by the distribution board 2. The distribution board 2 includes a main breaker 21 connected to an AC power source such as a commercial power source, and a plurality of branch breakers 22 connected to the secondary side (load side) of the main breaker 21. The primary side (power supply side) of the main breaker 21 is connected to the main circuit Lm of single-phase three-wire.

  The electrical load 3 is connected to the branch circuit Lb that is the secondary side of the branch breaker 22. Although one electric load 3 is preferably connected to one branch circuit Lb, a plurality of electric loads 3 may be connected to one branch circuit Lb. The electrical load 3 is preferably always connected to the branch circuit Lb, but may be detachably connected to an outlet provided in the branch circuit Lb. However, when the electric load 3 is attached and detached, the wiring design is made so that the branch circuit Lb can be divided for each room of the building.

  The branch circuit Lb is provided with a current sensor 111 in order to measure the power consumption for each branch circuit Lb. When the electric load 3 is an air conditioner or an IH cooker, one electric load 3 often occupies one branch circuit Lb. Therefore, for these electric loads 3, the amount of power used by one electric load 3 is obtained using the current detected by one current sensor 111. Further, the current detected by the current sensor 111 provided in the branch circuit Lb to which the plurality of electric loads 3 are connected is used for obtaining the power usage amount for each room. The current sensors 111 are preferably provided in all the branch circuits Lb, but may be provided only in some of the branch circuits Lb.

  The amount of current measured by the current sensor 111 is input to the measuring device 11. The measuring device 11 acquires the output of the current sensor 111 and converts it into a digital value, and the integrated value of power per unit time (power consumption) using the current value captured by the acquisition unit 112. And an integrating unit 113 for obtaining

  The accumulating unit 113 obtains an approximate value of the power usage amount by regarding the voltage as constant, but if it is necessary to obtain the electric power usage more accurately, the acquisition unit 112 obtains the line voltage of the branch circuit Lb as a current sensor. You may make it take in together with the output of 111. Further, the unit time for obtaining the amount of power used in the integrating unit 113 may be selected from 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and the like. As will be described later, since it is necessary to relate the power consumption to the operation of the electrical load 3, the unit time is set to 1 minute in order to detect a change in the power usage before and after the change of the operation of the electrical load 3. It is preferable to do.

  In addition to the acquisition unit 112 and the integration unit 113, the measurement device 11 includes a clock unit 114 that measures the date and time, a storage unit 115 that stores the power usage amount obtained by the integration unit 113 in association with the date and time, and a storage unit 115. Includes an interface unit 116 that transmits the power usage amount and the date and time stored therein. The interface unit 116 is preferably configured to perform wireless communication, but may be configured to perform wired communication. Since the measurement device 11 only needs to be able to perform near field communication in the home, when wireless communication is performed, the interface unit 116 adopts a specification using radio waves such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and ZigBee (registered trademark). . When performing wired communication, the interface unit 116 desirably employs power line communication (PLC) that uses a power line as a communication line in order to eliminate the need for wiring for communication.

  By the way, the electrical load 3 has a function of performing wireless communication, similar to the measuring device 11, and transmits the operation state of the electrical load 3 by wireless communication. The operating state of the electric load 3 is sent from the electric load 3 when the operating state changes, and is also sent as a response when notification of the operating state is requested using a radio signal.

  The operation state of the electric load 3 includes an on / off state, a setting value related to the element when an adjustable element is provided, and a set operation mode when a plurality of operation modes are provided. The adjustable elements are set temperature and set air volume if the electric load 3 is an air conditioner, set temperature if the electric load 3 is an IH cooker, dimming level if the electric load 3 is a dimmable lighting fixture, etc. Means. In addition to the normal operation mode of the electric load 3, the operation mode means an operation mode in which the setting is dynamically changed for power saving, an operation mode in which the setting is changed as time passes at bedtime, and the like.

  In addition to the measurement device 11, the energy management device 1 includes an evaluation device 12 that communicates with the electrical load 3 and the measurement device 11, and a display device 13 that displays information output from the evaluation device 12. The evaluation device 12 and the display device 13 may share a case or may have a different case. Further, as the display device 13, another device provided with a dot matrix display can be used. That is, by providing an appropriate interface unit in the evaluation device 12, a television receiver or a computer display can be used as the display device 13.

  It is also possible to cause the computer to function as the evaluation device 12 by executing an appropriate program on the computer. The computer may be a tablet terminal or a smartphone as well as a desktop or notebook personal computer.

  The evaluation device 12 includes an interface unit 121 that performs wireless communication between the electrical load 3 and the measurement device 11. When the measurement device 11 performs wired communication, the interface unit 121 also performs wired communication with the measurement device 11. Further, when the measurement device 11 and the evaluation device 12 share a housing, data transmission is directly performed between the measurement device 11 and the evaluation device 12, and thus the interfaces 116 and 121 may be omitted.

  The evaluation device 12 uses the storage unit 122 that stores the data on the operation state acquired from the electrical load 3 and the data on the power consumption (including time) acquired from the measurement device 11, and the data stored in the storage unit 122. And a calculation unit 123 that performs calculation for display described later. Furthermore, the evaluation device 12 includes a prediction calculation unit 124 that estimates the amount of power used when the operating state of the electric load 3 is changed, and an operation unit 125 for a user to give an instruction to the evaluation device 12. For example, the operation unit 125 gives an instruction as to which calculation result of the calculation unit 123 or the prediction calculation unit 124 is to be displayed on the display device 13.

  The operation unit 125 is preferably composed of a touch panel. When a touch panel is used for the operation unit 125, the touch panel is also used as the display device 13, and the operation unit 125 can be intuitively operated according to the display content of the display device 13. However, the operation unit 125 may be separate from the display device 13, and for example, a track pad, a mouse, a cursor key, or the like may be used. The operation unit 125 may include a push button switch or a keyboard.

  The storage unit 122 includes a first storage unit that stores the operation state data acquired from the electrical load 3 in association with the date and time, and a second storage unit that stores the power usage amount and date and time data acquired from the measurement device 11. Is provided. The first storage unit also stores the identification information of the electric load 3, and the second storage unit also stores the identification information of the branch circuit Lb. As the date and time associated with the operation state data acquired from the electrical load 3, the date and time when the evaluation device 12 acquires the operation state data from the electrical load 3 is used. Therefore, it is desirable that the evaluation device 12 includes a clock unit 127 that measures the date and time. However, when the electric load 3 has a function of measuring the date and time, the electric load 3 may transmit the date and time together with the operation state.

  Note that the branch circuit Lb in which the measuring device 11 measures the amount of power used and the electrical load 3 (or room) fed from the corresponding branch circuit Lb are associated in advance. The electrical load 3 communicates with the evaluation device 12 using identification information (address, etc.), and the measurement device 11 evaluates identification information (circuit number attached to the branch circuit Lb, etc.) for each branch circuit Lb together with the power consumption. Notify the device 12. The evaluation device 12 associates the electric power consumption with the electric load 3 by using the correspondence relationship between the identification information of the electric load 3 and the identification information of the branch circuit Lb.

  As described above, by comparing the identification information of the electrical load 3 with the identification information of the branch circuit Lb, it can be determined which electrical load 3 corresponds to the amount of power used by the evaluation device 12 acquired from the measurement device 11. . Further, by comparing the date and time corresponding to the operating state of the electrical load 3 with the date and time corresponding to the power usage, the power usage corresponding to the operating state of the electrical load 3 can be obtained. The calculation unit 123 of the evaluation device 12 uses the data stored in the storage unit 122 and collates the data to obtain the power usage amount corresponding to the operation state for each electric load 3. The operation state and power usage amount for each electrical load 3 obtained by the calculation unit 123 are stored in a third storage unit provided in the storage unit 122.

  The first to third storage units provided in the storage unit 122 are formed by dividing the storage area of one storage device, or formed using separate storage devices. As the storage device, it is desirable to use a rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory. However, when the number of electrical loads 3 is very large compared to a house, such as an office building, a hard disk is used as the storage device. It may be used.

  The calculation unit 123 not only generates data to be stored in the third storage unit by collating the data stored in the first storage unit and the second storage unit, but also uses the data stored in the storage unit 122. A function of generating information to be displayed on the display device 13 is also provided. The display device 13 selects at least three types of information, ie, the transition of the power usage for each electrical load 3, the ranking of the electrical load 3 according to the power usage, and the transition of the operating state for each electrical load 3. indicate.

  “Electric load 3” associated with the power consumption displayed on the display device 13 actually means “branch circuit Lb”. As described above, when the electrical load 3 corresponds to the branch circuit Lb on a one-to-one basis, the electrical load 3 and the branch circuit Lb are equivalent, so that the name displayed on the display device 13 is in principle the electrical load. The name of 3 is used. On the other hand, when a plurality of electrical loads 3 are connected to the branch circuit Lb or when an outlet is connected to the branch circuit Lb, the name of the room (or place) corresponding to the branch circuit Lb is used. When the same type of electrical load 3 is present in the house, the name of the room (or place) where the electrical load 3 is used and the name of the electrical load 3 are used in combination. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the electric load 3 is specified by combining the name of the room (or place) “child room” and the name of the electric load 3 “air conditioner”.

  Hereinafter, the three types of display contents described above with respect to the display device 13 will be specifically described. In addition, the display device 13 is configured by a touch panel and is also used as the operation unit 125. The example shown in FIG. 2 shows the transition of the power consumption during the unit period. The unit period is selected from four types of day, week, month, and year by operating any of the four period selection buttons 131. The illustrated example shows a state in which “day” is selected.

  The screen of the display device 13 is provided with two change buttons 132 and a period display area 133 for displaying the selected period in order to designate a specific period. The change button 132 is provided to change the period for displaying the transition of the power usage amount to the previous and subsequent periods. The period display area 133 is provided between the two change buttons 132. If one of the two change buttons 132 is pressed, the period displayed in the period display area 133 is changed. The period display area 133 displays a period including the current day by default. In the illustrated example, since the period selected by the period selection button 131 is “day”, the default date displayed in the period display area 133 is the current day. If the period selected by the period selection button 131 is “month”, the change button 132 changes the display content of the period display area 133 in units of months. In addition, since the touch panel is used, the operation actually performed on the button is only to touch a finger or the like at the position of the symbol indicating the button, but by touching the part corresponding to the “button” by analogy with the push button. The operation is called “press”.

  The transition of power is displayed in the graph display area 134. In the illustrated example, “day” is selected by the period selection button 131 and the current day is indicated in the period display area 133, so the hourly power usage amount for that day is represented by a bar graph in the graph display area 134. . Further, in the graph display area 134, the power consumption for each hour of the previous day is represented by a line graph for comparison. In the illustrated example, a comparison selection button 135 is provided, and the date to be compared can be selected from either “one day ago” or “one week ago”. That is, it is possible to compare the transition of power consumption for either the previous day or the same day of the previous week.

  By the way, the display contents of the display device 13 are hierarchized. In the upper left part of the display screen shown in FIG. 2, “top> graph power consumption> power usage by circuit> graph power usage by circuit” As shown in FIG. 2, the screen shown in FIG. 2 is a lower layer four layers below the top screen. The electrical load 3 (or the branch circuit Lb) is selected when selecting “circuit-specific power consumption” that is three levels below the top screen. Therefore, the graph display area 134 of “graph power consumption by circuit” shows a graph showing the transition of power usage for the electrical load 3 selected in the upper level “power usage by circuit”. Become.

  The electric load 3 selected on the “power consumption by circuit” screen is displayed in a load display area 136 provided in the lower left portion of the display screen. That is, as in the above example, if the electrical load 3 is “air conditioner” of “children's room”, the load display area 136 displays “children's room air conditioner”. Further, on the right side of the load display area 136, the integrated value of the electric power consumption (the integrated value from the start time of the unit period) used on the current day with the selected electric load 3 corresponds to the consideration of the integrated value. An integrated value display area 137 for displaying a guideline for the electricity bill is provided. Therefore, the integrated value display area 137 displays “** kWh *** yen”.

  In order to change the level of the content displayed on the screen of the display device 13, a character representing the hierarchical relationship shown in the upper left part of the display screen is selected, or “return” shown in the lower left part of the display screen is displayed. ”Button 138 is pressed. When the “return” button 138 is pressed, a screen one level higher is displayed.

  As described above, the electric load 3 may be able to select the operation mode, and when the operation mode is changed, the power usage amount also changes. Therefore, the graph display area 134 only indicates the power usage amount. Instead, it is also preferable to display a mark 139 indicating the change point of the operation mode. However, since the power usage is shown in units of one hour, the mark 139 is also given in units of one hour.

  When it is necessary to specifically know the contents of the set operation mode and the change time of the operation mode, the operation mode and the change time corresponding to the mark 139 may be displayed when the mark 139 is pressed. .

  By the way, it is possible to know the transition of the electric power consumption with respect to the designated electric load 3 from the graph shown in FIG. 2, but it is not possible to know the operating state of the electric load 3. The operating state of the electrical load 3 is shown on a separate screen. That is, when the “apparatus operation history” button 140 provided in the lower right portion of the screen shown in FIG. 2 is pressed, the operation history screen shown in FIG. 3 is displayed over the screen shown in FIG. In the operation history screen, for the electrical load 3 selected on the previous screen, a list of the time when the operation state is changed and the operation state at the time is displayed in the history display area 141. A scroll button 142 is provided on the right side of the history display area 141. When the operating state change history does not fall within the range of the history display area 141, the scroll display 142 is operated to scroll the history display area 141. It is possible to do.

  The operation history screen is provided with a close button 143. When the close button 143 is pressed, the operation history screen is closed, and the screen returns to the screen shown in FIG. Although the “return” button 144 is shown on the operation history screen of the illustrated example, the “return” button 144 is not displayed when the screen shown in FIG. 2 is shifted to the screen shown in FIG. The “return” button 144 will be described later.

  As described above, the operation history of the electrical load 3 is shown by pressing the “apparatus operation history” button 140 provided on the screen showing the transition of the power usage amount in the unit period as a graph. Can confirm the operating state of the electric load 3 corresponding to the change in the power consumption. For example, when the user views the graph shown in the screen of FIG. 2, the user can confirm the time period during which the power usage is increasing. When the history is displayed on the display device 13, the operating state in the corresponding time zone can be seen. In other words, the reason for the increase in power consumption can be found by looking at the operating state in the corresponding time zone.

  As described above, the graph shows the transition of power usage in a unit period such as one day, one week, one month, one year, etc., so that the user can intuitively see the period when the power usage is increasing. Can know. In addition, when the user wants to know the cause of the increase in the power consumption, the cause of the increase in the power consumption can be known by displaying the operation history on the display device 13. Therefore, for a user who is interested in energy saving, a guideline for adjusting the operating state of the electric load 3 can be obtained when the electric load 3 is operated next. Since the graph showing the transition of power consumption shows the transition of past power consumption as a comparison target, the user can compare the increase or decrease of the power usage with the past, resulting in the occurrence of waste or saving. Can know.

  In the above-described example, the display example in the “graph circuit power consumption” layer has been described, but the same display is performed in the “graph power consumption” which is the upper layer. However, in this hierarchy, the transition of the power consumption for the entire building or the distribution board is shown in a graph, not the transition of the power consumption for each individual branch circuit Lb. In addition, a “apparatus usage breakdown” button is provided on the “graph power consumption” screen in place of the “apparatus operation history” button 140 shown on the “graph circuit power consumption” screen. Except for this point, the basic display contents are almost the same as the display example shown in FIG.

  When the “apparatus usage breakdown” button is pressed, the screen shown in FIG. 4 pops up and displayed on the screen of the display device 13. In the screen shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of electric loads 3 (or branch circuits Lb) having the highest power consumption are displayed in the list display area 151. In the illustrated example, the three electric loads 3 having the highest power consumption are displayed in a table format so that they can be listed. In other words, the list display area 151 displays a ranking of power usage.

  The electric load 3 is specified by a combination of the name of the room (or place) and the name of the electric load 3, and the electric power consumption (integrated value) of each electric load 3 is shown in association with each electric load 3. . Furthermore, each electric load 3 is associated with “operation history” buttons 152 to 154. The screen shown in FIG. 4 is provided with two change buttons 155 and a period display area 156 for displaying the selected period in order to designate a specific period. The change button 155 is provided to change the period indicated in the period display area 156 to the previous and subsequent periods.

  The list display area 151 shows the ranking in the period displayed in the period display area 156. That is, the type of the electrical load 3 displayed in the list display area 151 changes according to the period displayed in the period display area 156. Further, the power usage amount shown in the list display area 151 corresponds to the period shown in the period display area 156.

  As described above, since the transition of the power usage is presented to the user in units of buildings or distribution boards, if the user is interested in the increase or decrease in the power usage, the user presses the “Equipment Usage Breakdown” button. Thus, the screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the screen of the display device 13. On the screen shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of electric loads 3 are presented in descending order of the amount of electric power used, and these are electric loads 3 that are highly effective in reducing the electric power usage when the operating state is changed. I can say that. That is, when the user refers to the ranking displayed in the list display area 151, the user can easily know which electrical load 3 operation should be changed in order to reduce the power consumption.

  Here, when the “operation history” buttons 152 to 154 are pressed on the screen shown in FIG. 4, the operation history screen of the electrical load 3 corresponding to the pressed “operation history” buttons 152 to 154 is displayed. That is, the operation history screen shown in FIG. 3 can also be transferred by pressing the “operation history” buttons 152 to 154 from the screen shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the actual power usage amount and the operation state of the electric load 3 are correlated and visualized, the user can operate the electric load 3 according to the transition of the electric power usage amount. It is possible to check the status. Therefore, if the user has an interest in energy saving, the user is encouraged to take action to reduce power consumption. In addition, since information for considering which electric load 3 should be operated and how to operate it can be obtained for the user to reduce the amount of power used, such a user is guided to energy saving behavior, and the user Can continue to have an interest in energy conservation. In addition, since the electric load 3 having a large power consumption is indicated to the user, the user can easily select the electric load 3 having a large effect of reducing the power consumption, and as a result, the user is guided to the energy saving action. It becomes easy.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, a configuration in which communication is performed between the measurement device 11 and the evaluation device 12 configuring the energy management device 1 and communication is performed between the electrical load 3 and the evaluation device 12 is illustrated. The present embodiment illustrates a configuration in which a network server that communicates with the energy management apparatus 1 is provided and various services described below can be provided.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the energy management device 1 includes a communication interface unit 14 in order to communicate with the server 4 via the communication network NT1. By providing the energy management device 1 with the function of communicating with the server 4, the following service can be provided from the server 4 to the energy management device 1.

  For example, when the electric load 3 is an air conditioner and performs cooling, it is considered that the amount of electric power used by the electric load 3 is increased on a clear day than on a cloudy or rainy day. Moreover, when the electric load 3 is a lighting fixture, it is thought that the electric power consumption of the electric load 3 will decrease in the case of fine weather than in the case of cloudy weather or rainy weather. As in this example, depending on the type of the electrical load 3, there may be a correlation between the weather and the power consumption.

  Therefore, it is preferable that the energy management apparatus 1 can communicate with the server 4 that provides information related to the weather. When the energy management device 1 stores the data on the operation state and the data on the power usage in the storage unit 122, the energy management apparatus 1 acquires information on the weather from the server 4 and stores the information on the operation state and the power usage in the storage unit 12. It is. The weather information acquired from the server 4 by the energy management device 1 is weather information when the operation state of the electric load 3 is stored in the storage unit 122, and is mainly information on fine rain. It is also possible to add temperature information as weather information.

  When information related to the weather is stored in the storage unit 12, the display device 13 displays a change in the amount of power used (for example, every minute) in units of buildings or distribution boards as shown in FIG. Changes are displayed together. That is, the amount of power used and the change in weather over time are displayed side by side on the screen of the display device 13. In FIG. 6, characteristic (1) shows the transition of the amount of power used in units of buildings or distribution boards, and characteristic (2) shows the transition of outside air temperature. The distinction of clear rain is indicated by a mark 161 at the bottom of the screen. The characteristic (3) is the transition of the power consumption of the model used as a reference. For example, the average value of the transition of the power consumption of the building of the same scale or the ideal for achieving the target of the power consumption Adopt value etc. The characteristic (3) varies depending on the season, and also varies depending on information on the weather forecast for the day (minimum temperature and maximum temperature, distinction of rain, sunrise time and sunset time, etc.).

  The weather information is preferably obtained at short time intervals of about 30 minutes or 1 hour, but may be intervals of 3 hours or 6 hours, for example. Regarding the air temperature, a configuration may be adopted in which a temperature sensor for detecting the outside air temperature is separately provided and the outside air temperature measured by the temperature sensor is acquired by the energy management device 1.

  As described above, the transition of the power usage amount and the weather is displayed side by side, so that the user can check the operation state of the electric load 3 in association with not only the power usage amount but also the weather. That is, when changing the operation of the electric load 3 in order to reduce the power consumption, the user can make a decision with reference to more information than when only the power usage is used. . As a result, it becomes easy to realize both the maintenance of comfort by using the electric load 3 and the reduction of the power consumption consumed by the electric load 3.

  Note that the function of causing the server 4 to manage the electrical load 3 may be added using the function of the energy management device 1 communicating with the server 4. For example, if the type, product name, start date of use, etc. of the electrical load 3 are registered in the server 4 from the energy management device 1, the server 4 will replace the consumables of the electrical load 3 or purchase the electrical load 3. It is possible to notify the replacement time. Consumables of the electric load 3 include a deodorizing filter and an air purifying filter if the electric load 3 is an air conditioner, and include a lamp if the lighting load is a lighting fixture. Similarly, the server 3 can notify the energy management apparatus 1 of options to be used in combination with the electric load 3.

  The replacement period for consumables can be determined simply by the number of months since the start of use, but it can also be determined more accurately by using the history of changes in power consumption. Is possible. The replacement time of the electrical load 3 is also determined from the history of changes in the number of months elapsed since the start of use and the amount of power used, as in the replacement time of consumables. As for the replacement time of the electric load 3, in addition to the start date of use and the history of changes in the amount of power used, the release time of a new product that uses less power than the electric load 3 in use is also used. It can also be expected to encourage users to save energy by introducing new products. In addition, if the user wants notification of consumables, options, new products, etc. at an appropriate timing other than the replacement or replacement timing (for example, every six months, every year, etc.), the notification timing Can be set in advance.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a screen for notifying a consumable item (option). This screen is provided with a product display area 162 for displaying the type and product name of the electrical load 3 to which the consumable item (option) is applied, and a consumable item display area 163 for displaying the corresponding consumable item (option). . In this screen, if a “set” button 164 is pressed, the screen shifts to a screen for setting notification timing and notification content. If the “message delete” button 165 is pressed, the screen shown in FIG. 7 is terminated and the original screen is restored. In addition, a “purchase” button 166 linked to the purchase site is also provided to facilitate the purchase of the notified consumable item (option).

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen for introducing a product of the electrical load 3, and a “set” button 164, a “message delete” button 165, and a “purchase” button 166 are provided in the same manner as the screen shown in FIG. . This screen is provided with a product display area 167 where the recommended product of the electrical load 3 is presented with explanation, and a reason display area 168 indicating the reason for recommending the corresponding product. In the reason display area 168, advantages for the product in use (reduction in electricity charges, amount of water saving, etc.) are displayed.

  As described above, by notifying the user of the replacement time of the consumables (option) of the electric load 3 and the replacement time of the electric load 3, it is possible to prompt the user to introduce these, and as a result This will lead to a reduction in power consumption in the building. In other words, exchanging consumables or replacing them with products that reduce power consumption can be said to be a kind of energy saving action. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

(Embodiment 3)
The energy management device 1 described in the present embodiment has a function of displaying, on the screen of the display device 13, a result of predicting by simulation how much power consumption is reduced when any energy saving action is performed. The simulation can be performed by the prediction calculation unit 124. In this case, the energy management apparatus 1 performs the simulation. On the other hand, when the energy management apparatus 1 can communicate with the server 4 (see FIG. 5), the server 4 may perform a simulation.

  The simulation estimates the power usage for each operating state for each type of electrical load 3 and estimates the power usage in units of the building or distribution board obtained from the results as 100%. Find the reduction rate of the result. For example, when the monthly power consumption in the entire building is 400 kWh, the electric load 3 is a refrigerator, and the refrigeration is set to “weak”, so that the monthly power consumption is reduced from the current 150 kWh. Suppose that it is estimated to be reduced to 142 kWh. In this case, since the reduction is 8 kWh, the reduction rate is 2% with respect to 400 kWh.

  FIG. 9 exemplifies four types of electric loads 3 such as an air conditioner, a refrigerator, a lighting fixture, and a television receiver. The result of simulation for each electrical load 3 is displayed in an individual display area 171 provided on the screen of the display device 13. In addition, an entire display area 172 for displaying the power usage of the entire building (or distribution board) is provided at the left end of the screen.

  The individual display area 171 is provided with a slider 173 that can be moved up and down as an operation unit for each electric load 3, and by moving the slider 173, the power consumption reduction rate can be changed. The higher the position of the slider 173, the higher the power consumption reduction rate. Further, a reduction rate display area 174 for displaying the reduction rate of the power consumption selected by the slider 173 as a numerical value is provided above the slider 173, and the corresponding reduction rate is selected above the reduction rate display area 174. An operation display area 175 for displaying the operation state of the electric load 3 in the case of the failure is provided.

  Assuming a case where the electric load 3 is an air conditioner and performs a cooling operation, moving the slider 173 upward means that the set temperature becomes high while the reduction rate of the power consumption increases. Therefore, when the slider 173 is moved upward, the numerical value displayed in the reduction rate display area 174 increases, and the set temperature displayed in the operation display area 175 increases. For example, if the current set temperature is 25 ° C., the set temperature changes to a temperature higher than 25 ° C. as the slider 173 is moved up to increase the power consumption reduction rate. The illustrated example shows a state where the power consumption reduction rate is set to 8% and the set temperature is 28 ° C.

  Similarly, in FIG. 9, in order to reduce the rate of reduction in the refrigerator to 2%, it is set to “weak”. To reduce the rate of reduction in the lighting fixture to 3%, two lights are turned off. In order to make the reduction rate of 2%, it is necessary to watch only 2.5 hours per day. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 9, a slider 176 and a reduction rate display area 177 are also provided in the overall display area 172 in order to set a reduction rate of the power consumption in the entire building. The slider 176 in the entire display area 172 is linked to the slider 173 in the individual display area 171, and the total reduction rate set by the slider 173 in the individual display area 171 is the reduction set by the slider 176 in the entire display area 172. Match the rate. That is, when the slider 173 is moved, the slider 176 moves in conjunction with it.

  Further, by moving the slider 176, the four sliders 173 in the individual display area 171 may be moved in conjunction with each other at a predetermined ratio. The ratio of the slider 173 in the individual display area 171 is appropriately set in advance. If this operation is adopted, it is possible to set the reduction rate of the entire building (or distribution board) as a target value with the slider 176, and then finely adjust the reduction rate with the individual electric loads 3 with the slider 173. .

  A charge display area 178 is provided above the entire display area 172. In the charge display area 178, the current electricity charge based on the performance of the unit period and the estimated value of the electricity charge when the operating state of the electric load 3 is changed so that the reduction amount set by the sliders 173 and 176 is obtained. Are displayed side by side. Here, the unit period for calculating the electricity rate is usually one month or one year, but one day may be used as the unit period. If the unit period for calculating electricity charges is 1 month, the current electricity charge is selected from the electricity charge of the previous month, the electricity charge of the same month of the previous month, the average value of the annual electricity charge, etc. .

  In the operation example described above, the user determines the power consumption reduction rate in units of buildings or distribution boards, but it is difficult for a user who has no knowledge about the electrical load 3 to set the reduction rate. In some cases, it can be considered. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of types of standard plans may be prepared in advance, and the user may select a plan. The illustrated example includes three selection buttons 181 to 183 so that three types of plans, “balance plan”, “immediate plan”, and “my plan” can be selected. Each plan includes a combination of operation states for each electric load 3. “Balance plan” and “Now plan” are predetermined combinations, but “My plan” is provided for the user to freely set.

  In the illustrated example, “balance plan” is selected, and the operation state of the electric load 3 is that the set temperature of the air conditioner is 28 ° C., the viewing time of the television receiver is 2.5 hours per day, The refrigeration setting is “weak”, and the lighting fixture is a combination of three lights off.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, the reduction rate of the power consumption for the entire building (or distribution board) can be set, but the reduction rate of each electric load 3 is only displayed and cannot be set. It is. In each plan, it is desirable that a default value be set for the reduction rate of power consumption in the entire building (or distribution board). For example, in the “balance plan”, 15% is set as the default value of the power consumption reduction rate. However, the reduction rate of power consumption in the entire building (or distribution panel) can be adjusted. By adjusting this value, the overall reduction can be achieved without changing the ratio of the reduction rate among the electrical loads 3. The rate will be adjusted.

  Since the energy management device 1 includes the interface unit 121 that can wirelessly communicate with the electrical load 3, when the operation state displayed on the display device 13 is implemented by the electrical load 3, the energy management device 1 The electric load 3 may be instructed. In this case, the energy management device 1 also functions as a controller that instructs the operating state of the electric load 3.

  If the configuration of the present embodiment is adopted, the user is motivated to adjust the operating state of the electric load 3 in consideration of the reduction rate of the electric power consumption or the electric charge, so that the electric power usage can be reduced. Energy-saving behavior is more likely to be triggered. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first or second embodiment.

1 Energy management device 3 Electric load (energy consuming equipment)
4 Server 11 Measuring device 12 Evaluation device 13 Display device 112 Acquisition unit 121 Interface unit 122 Storage unit 123 Calculation unit 124 Prediction calculation unit 125 Operation unit NT1 communication network

Claims (5)

An acquisition unit for acquiring energy consumption by energy consuming equipment;
An interface unit for acquiring an operating state of the energy consuming device;
A storage unit that stores a history of energy usage acquired by the acquisition unit and a history of operating states of the energy consuming device acquired through the interface unit;
An energy management apparatus comprising: a calculation unit that displays a history of energy usage stored in the storage unit and a history of an operating state of the energy consuming device in association with each other. An operation unit for performing an operation to instruct the calculation unit to display content of the display device;
In the state where the energy usage amount of the energy consuming device is displayed on the display device, the calculation unit reads out the history of the operating state of the energy consuming device instructed by the operation unit from the storage unit and displays the display. The energy management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy management apparatus has a function of displaying on the apparatus. The interface unit has a function of communicating through a communication network with a server that provides information on weather,
The calculation unit has a function of displaying information related to weather acquired from the server in an energy usage amount in a state where the energy usage amount of the energy consuming device is displayed on the display device. Item 3. The energy management device according to Item 1 or 2. A prediction calculation unit for estimating a reduction rate of energy consumption when the operating state of the energy consuming device is changed,
The said calculating part has a function which links | relates and displays the reduction rate of the energy usage which the said prediction calculating part estimated on the said display apparatus, and the operation state of the said energy consumption apparatus. The energy management device according to any one of claims. Computer
An acquisition unit for acquiring energy consumption by energy consuming equipment;
An interface unit for acquiring an operating state of the energy consuming device;
A storage unit that stores a history of energy usage acquired by the acquisition unit and a history of operating states of the energy consuming device acquired through the interface unit;
A program that functions as an arithmetic unit that causes a display device to display an energy usage amount history stored in the storage unit and an operation state history of the energy consuming device in association with each other.

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