JP2018132242A - Water heater control system, water heater control method and water heater control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water heater control system capable of suppressing a maximum value of an average resource consumption in a facility where a water heater is installed, and also suppressing occurrence of shortage of hot water in the water heater.SOLUTION: A water heater control system 10, as one example of embodiments, is a system for controlling a hot water storage type water heater 30 installed in a facility 1. The water heater control system 10 includes: an acquisition unit 11 configured to acquire information on at least one of resource consumption and resource consumption amount in the facility 1; and an output unit 12 configured to output increase instruction information for increasing a boiling-up hot water amount of the water heater 30 in a first time zone. The output unit 12 is configured to output the increase instruction information based on at least one of the resource consumption and resource consumption amount in a second time zone.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a water heater control system, a water heater control method, and a water heater control program.

  Patent Document 1 includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of operation patterns of a device, a prediction unit that predicts the power consumption of the device in the first period for each second period shorter than the first period, There is disclosed a system including a selection unit that selects an operation pattern of a device in units of two periods. When the prediction value by the prediction unit exceeds the threshold, the selection unit selects the operation pattern of the device so that the excess rate from the prediction value threshold is equal to or less than the allowable value. Patent Document 1 exemplifies a hot water storage type water heater as the above device, and the water heater is operated in a normal mode in which the amount of boiling water is larger than a specified amount or in an energy saving mode in which the amount of boiling water is less than a specified amount. Is described.

  In general, hot water storage type hot water heaters perform boiling operation to boil hot water necessary for a day in a time zone where electricity bills are cheap, but if the amount of boiling water is too small, it is necessary to increase boiling, On the other hand, if the amount of boiling water is too large, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of energy saving. For this reason, the hot water storage type hot water heater learns the amount of hot water used in the past and automatically determines the optimum amount of boiling water.

JP 2014-222396 A

  By the way, the charge for resources such as electric power used in facilities such as houses may be determined based on the maximum value of average resource consumption calculated from the amount of resource consumption in a predetermined period, and as the maximum value increases Fees will increase step by step. Therefore, it is desirable to control each device including the water heater so as to keep this maximum value low. However, there are cases where the amount of hot water in the water heater is greatly reduced and boiling is required during a time period when the resource consumption is high. In such a case, simply stopping the operation of the water heater or reducing the output is not preferable because it increases the possibility of running out of hot water.

  An object of the present disclosure is to provide a water heater control system that can suppress the occurrence of hot water out of a water heater while suppressing the maximum average resource consumption in a facility where a hot water storage type water heater is installed.

  A water heater control system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a water heater control system that controls a hot water storage type water heater installed in a facility, and acquires information on at least one of resource consumption and resource consumption of the facility And an output unit that outputs increase instruction information for increasing the amount of boiling water of the water heater in the first time zone, the output unit including the resource consumption and the second time zone. The increase instruction information is output based on at least one of the resource consumption.

  A method for controlling a water heater according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a method for controlling a hot water heater that controls a hot water storage type water heater that is installed in a facility, and is information related to at least one of resource consumption and resource consumption of the facility. And a step of outputting increasing instruction information for increasing the amount of boiling water of the water heater in the first time zone, and the step of outputting the increasing instruction information includes a second time zone. The increase instruction information is output based on at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption.

  A water heater control program according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a program for realizing the control method by a computer.

  According to the water heater control system that is one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of hot water out of the water heater while suppressing the maximum value of the average resource consumption in the facility where the water heater is installed.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the water heater control system which is an example of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the water heater which is an example of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the amount of hot water storage of a water heater, and the power consumption of a plant | facility in the water heater control system which is an example of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the amount of hot water storage of a water heater, and the power consumption of a plant | facility in the water heater control system which is an example of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the amount of hot water storage of a water heater, and the power consumption of a plant | facility in the water heater control system which is an example of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the water heater which is another example of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the amount of hot water storage of a water heater, and the power consumption of a plant | facility in the water heater control system which is a comparative example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a water heater control system, a water heater control method, and a water heater control program according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the water heater control system, the water heater control method, and the water heater control program of the present disclosure are not limited to the embodiments described below. Moreover, it is assumed from the beginning that the constituent elements of the plurality of embodiments described below are selectively combined.

  Below, the detached house is illustrated as the facility 1 in which the water heater 30 is installed. However, the facility 1 is not particularly limited, and may be a housing complex such as an apartment, a public facility such as a school or a library, a store, an office, or the like.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a water heater control system 10 that is an example of an embodiment. The hot water heater control system 10 is a system that controls the hot water storage type hot water heater 30 installed in the facility 1. The water heater control system 10 includes an acquisition unit 11 that acquires information related to at least one of resource consumption and resource consumption of the facility 1, and increase instruction information for increasing the amount of boiling water of the water heater 30 in the first time zone. Is provided. The output unit 12 outputs the increase instruction information based on at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption of the facility 1 in the second time zone. Preferably, the increase instruction information is output when at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption of the facility 1 in the second time period exceeds the first threshold.

  Here, the resource is energy used for operation of the water heater 30, and is generally electric power or gas. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the water heater 30 is an electric water heater, and the resource supplied to the water heater 30 is electric power. That is, the acquisition unit 11 acquires information on at least one of power consumption and power consumption. In the present specification, power that is instantaneously consumed is defined as power consumption, and an integrated value of power consumed in a certain period is defined as power consumption. The power consumption includes the average power consumption calculated from the power consumption.

  Commercial AC power is supplied to the facility 1 from a power supplier such as an electric power company. An example of the charge of electricity used at the facility 1 (electricity charge) is the total of the basic charge determined based on the contract power and the energy charge determined based on the usage. The contract power is determined based on, for example, the maximum average power consumption calculated from the power consumption during a predetermined period.

  In this specification, the average power consumption calculated from the power consumption for 30 minutes is defined as “30-minute demand value”, and the monthly maximum power consumption that is the maximum 30-minute demand value in one month is defined as “demand value (general Is also referred to as the maximum demand value or peak power). The time interval for calculating the average power consumption is called a demand time limit. The demand time limit is not limited to 30 minutes and varies depending on, for example, the country.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the contract power of the facility 1 is calculated based on the largest value among demand values for each month in the past year. Since the contract power increases step by step as the demand value increases, it is important to lower the demand value in order to keep the electricity bill low. The water heater control system 10 is a system that controls the water heater 30 so that the demand value does not exceed the target value due to the operation of the water heater 30. Here, the target value is a value that can be arbitrarily set by the user, and is a demand value corresponding to a desired contract power, such as 3 kW or 4 kW (hereinafter referred to as “target demand value”). The target demand value may be automatically set by the water heater control system 10.

  The facility 1 is provided with a watt hour meter 20 to which a main line (primary trunk line) of an AC power source that is drawn into the facility 1 is connected, and a distribution board 21 that branches the secondary trunk line from the watt hour meter 20. ing. In the facility 1, in addition to the water heater 30, an IH cooking heater 31, an LDK air conditioner 32, an air conditioner such as a bedroom air conditioner 33, an illumination 34, and a power storage system 35 are installed as electric devices that use electric power. In addition, the electric equipment used in the facility 1 is not limited to these, and a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a television, a personal computer, a washing machine, a dryer, a floor heating, etc. can be illustrated.

  The watt-hour meter 20 is a device that measures the power consumption and power consumption of the facility 1. In the present embodiment, the watt-hour meter 20 always measures power consumption. In addition, the power consumption is measured and stored every 30 minutes, and the 30-minute demand value that is the average power consumption is calculated and stored from the power consumption for 30 minutes. The watt-hour meter 20 has a communication function, and may transmit measurement data to the management server of the power supply company or to the water heater control system 10. It is preferable that the water heater control system 10 obtains at least one of power consumption and power consumption from the watt-hour meter 20.

  Distribution board 21 has a main circuit breaker in which the secondary trunk line from watt-hour meter 20 is connected to the primary side, and a plurality of branch breakers provided on the secondary side of the main circuit breaker. The distribution board 21 may include a plurality of branch current sensors that respectively measure the currents of the plurality of branch circuits branched by the branch breakers. Note that a power measuring device such as a current sensor may be installed on the primary side of the main breaker, and in this case, the water heater control system 10 may acquire measurement data from the measuring device.

  The facility 1 may be provided with an energy management system that monitors the power consumption of the entire facility and controls each electrical device. The energy management system acquires the measurement data of each branch current sensor and the measurement data of the watt-hour meter 20, and the IH cooking heater 31, the lighting 34, and the like so that the power consumption or power consumption of the facility 1 does not exceed the target value. Control electrical equipment. When an energy management system is provided, the water heater control system 10 may be configured as a part of the management system.

  The hot water heater 30 that is a control target of the hot water heater control system 10 is a hot water storage type hot water heater that performs a boiling operation for boiling hot water necessary for one day in a time zone when the electricity rate is low. The water heater 30 includes a heating device that heats water, a hot water storage tank that stores hot water heated by the heating device, a water supply pipe, a hot water supply pipe, and a control device. The hot water storage tank has a capacity capable of storing hot water for one day used in the facility 1, and generally stores hot water of 65 ° C to 90 ° C. A suitable example of the heating device is a heat pump device in which a compressor, a water heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an air heat exchanger are connected by a refrigerant circuit.

  The control device of the water heater 30 automatically determines the optimum amount of boiling water based on, for example, the amount of hot water used for the past two weeks and the setting of the operating state by the user. However, if the amount of hot water used increases more than usual due to a decrease in temperature, changes in user activity patterns, etc., there may be cases where the hot water becomes insufficient and heating is required. In general, the water heater 30 is configured to automatically perform a boiling operation when the amount of hot water in the hot water storage tank decreases to a predetermined amount, thereby preventing the occurrence of running out of hot water.

  As described above, the water heater control system 10 includes the acquisition unit 11 and the output unit 12, and the boiling of the water heater 30 is based on at least one of the power consumption and the power consumption of the facility 1 in the second time zone. The increase instruction information for increasing the amount of hot water is output. In addition, the water heater control system 10 includes a storage unit 13. The memory | storage part 13 has memorize | stored the measurement data acquired from the watt-hour meter 20, the control parameter containing the below-mentioned threshold value etc., the water heater control program, etc., for example.

  The water heater control system 10 sets the display unit 14 for displaying the operation state of the water heater 30, the power consumption of the facility 1, the power consumption, the target demand value, the operation condition of the water heater 30, the control condition, and the like. It is preferable to provide the input part 15 for doing. The display unit 14 may be a lamp or the like, but is preferably a display. Examples of the input unit 15 include a button, a numeric keypad, and a keyboard, and may be a touch panel integrated with the display unit 14.

  The water heater control system 10 is constructed by a computer including one or more devices including, for example, a CPU, a memory, an input / output port, and the like. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the acquisition unit 11, the output unit 12, the storage unit 13, the display unit 14, and the input unit 15 are integrated, but these may not be integrated. That is, the water heater control system 10 includes one or more devices. As the display unit 14 and the input unit 15, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or the like can be used. The hot water heater control system 10 may be constructed using a plurality of computers, or a part of the system may be constructed with one or a plurality of servers connected via a network such as the Internet.

  For example, when the amount of power consumption of the facility 1 in the second time zone is large, the water heater control system 10 increases the amount of boiling water of the water heater 30 that is implemented in the first time zone. Reduce the likelihood of additional boiling during the time. Thereby, it can suppress that the amount of power consumption of a 2nd time zone resulting from the boiling increase operation of the water heater 30 increases.

  In the present specification, the first time zone means a time zone in which the boiling operation is performed. The boiling operation is an operation for boiling hot water necessary for one day as described above, and is distinguished from a boiling increase operation that is performed as the amount of stored hot water decreases. The second time zone is a time zone in which the boiling operation is not performed, in other words, a time zone in which the boiling increase operation may be performed. The second time zone is a time zone during which the system monitors the power consumption and the like of the facility 1 in order to execute the control of the water heater control system 10.

  It is preferable that at least a part of the first time zone is a time zone where the unit price of power determined by a power supply company such as an electric power company is low (eg, from midnight to 5:00 in the early morning). In general, in the winter season, the boiling operation takes longer than in the summer season, and this time zone may be exceeded.

  On the other hand, the second time zone is a time zone in which boiling due to a decrease in the amount of hot water stored in the water heater 30 is assumed. The water heater control system 10 sets the second time zone for monitoring the power consumption of the facility 1 to the time zone when the amount of stored hot water decreases, that is, the time zone during which a long time has elapsed since the end of the boiling operation in one day. It is preferable to do. Specific examples of the second time zone include 17: 00-22: 00 or 18: 00-22: 00. The second time period may be set in advance, or may be automatically set based on the operating state of the water heater 30 or the like. Further, the second time zone may be set manually by the user.

  The water heater control system 10 outputs, for example, an increase command, which is a signal for increasing the amount of boiling water, to the control device of the water heater 30 as the increase instruction information. And the control apparatus of the water heater 30 which received the increase instruction | indication command controls each component of the water heater 30, and increases the amount of boiling water. In the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 11 acquires measurement data related to at least one of the power consumption and the power consumption of the facility 1 from the watt-hour meter 20, and the output unit 12 outputs increase instruction information based on the measurement data.

  The increase instruction information is not limited to the increase instruction, and may be alert information that recommends the user to increase the amount of boiling water. The alert information is preferably output to the display unit 14. The user who has confirmed the information on the display unit 14 can, for example, manually increase the amount of boiling water by operating the water heater 30 or refrain from using power without increasing the amount.

  As described above, the increase command output to the hot water heater 30 is a signal for instructing an increase in the amount of boiling water, and preferably includes information on the amount of boiling water to be increased. The amount of boiling hot water to be increased may be set to a specific amount of hot water in advance, or may be automatically set based on the operating state such as the frequency of boiling of the water heater 30. Alternatively, it may be set manually by the user. A plurality of increase commands with different information on the amount of hot water to be increased may be set, and the output unit 12 may increase the amount of boiling water in a stepwise manner.

  The increase command may be a command for increasing the amount of boiling water by switching the operation mode of the boiling operation. In this case, the increase command can be said to be an operation mode change command. For example, when a plurality of modes are set such as an operation mode in which the amount of boiling water is large and an operation mode (saving mode) in which the amount of boiling water is small, the water heater 30 that has received the increase command indicates that the operation mode is the saving mode. May be switched to a mode with a large amount of boiling water.

  It is preferable that the acquisition part 11 acquires the 30-minute demand value which is average power consumption in a 2nd time slot | zone as said measurement data. The water heater control system 10 has a wireless communication function, for example, and the acquisition unit 11 acquires a demand value for 30 minutes by wireless communication with the watt hour meter 20. The acquisition unit 11 stores the acquired 30-minute demand value in the storage unit 13 together with the measurement date. The acquisition unit 11 may acquire a 30-minute demand value other than the second time zone, and the output unit 12 may selectively use the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone.

  In the following, it is assumed that the acquisition unit 11 acquires the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone, and the output unit 12 outputs the increase instruction information and the like based on the 30-minute demand value. However, the acquisition unit 11 may be configured to acquire information on the power consumption of the facility 1 or both the power consumption and the power consumption.

  The output unit 12 preferably outputs an increase command as the increase instruction information based on the 30-minute demand value acquired by the acquisition unit 11. The output unit 12 analyzes whether or not the demand value tends to increase from the 30-minute demand value stored in the storage unit 13 and uses the result as a trigger for the increase command output. Also good. Further, the rate of increase of the 30-minute demand value may be calculated, the day when the 30-minute demand value exceeds the target demand value may be estimated, and the increase command may be output before that day. The output unit 12 transmits an increase command, for example, by wireless communication with the water heater 30.

  The output unit 12 preferably outputs an increase command when the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone exceeds the first threshold. That is, the output unit 12 has a function of comparing the first threshold value with the 30-minute demand value and determining whether or not to output an increase command. In this regard, it can be said that the output unit 12 is a determination unit. By using the first threshold value, the control process can be simplified. The output unit 12 outputs an increase command when the 30-minute demand value exceeds the first threshold even once, but when the 30-minute demand value exceeds the first threshold multiple times within a predetermined period, the output command is issued. It may be configured to output.

  The first threshold value is set to a value less than the target demand value, which is a threshold value based on an electricity bill determined by the power supply company. When the target demand value is 4 kW, the first threshold value may be set to 3 kW. Thus, by setting the first threshold value determined according to the target demand value and controlling the water heater 30, the demand value for 30 minutes exceeds the target demand value due to the operation of the water heater 30. Can be suppressed. It is also possible to set the first threshold value to the same value as the target demand value. In this case, the power consumption or the power consumption for a time shorter than the demand time limit is obtained from the watt-hour meter 20 and compared with the first threshold value.

  The first threshold value and the second threshold value to be described later are values obtained by subtracting the average power consumption calculated from the power consumption during the boiling-up operation of the water heater 30 or the power consumption during a time shorter than the demand time limit from the target demand value. It is good. In this case, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the reheating operation is performed in a time zone in which power consumption by devices other than the water heater 30 increases.

  The target demand value can be arbitrarily set based on the contract power (electricity charge) desired by the user. For example, the target demand value is set by the operation of the input unit 15 by the user. The first threshold value may be automatically determined based on the target demand value, or may be manually set by the user. As described above, when there are a plurality of increase commands with different information on the amount of hot water to be increased, a plurality of first threshold values may be set.

  When the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone exceeds the first threshold, the output unit 12 notifies the user of an increase plan of the amount of boiling water as the increase instruction information, and an approval signal based on the approval operation of the user May be configured to output an increase command on the condition that it has been received. By notifying the user of the planned increase in the amount of boiling water, for example, as in the case of outputting the alert information, it is possible to urge the user to refrain from using unnecessary power, and an increase in the amount of boiling water can be avoided.

  It is preferable that the output unit 12 informs the user by outputting a plan to increase the amount of boiling water to the display unit 14. At this time, a warning sound or a sound may be output together. When the plan for increasing the amount of boiling water is output to the display unit 14, the user who has confirmed this information determines whether or not to approve the increase. An example of the user's approval operation is an operation of the input unit 15, and an approval signal is output by this operation.

  It is preferable that the output unit 12 outputs the weight reduction instruction information for reducing the amount of boiling water increased by the weight increase instruction information based on the 30-minute demand value of the facility 1 in the second time zone. When the amount of power consumption in the second time period decreases, it is possible to prevent unnecessary boiling by outputting the amount-decrease instruction information and returning the amount of boiling water.

  The output unit 12 analyzes whether or not the 30-minute demand value tends to decrease from the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone stored in the storage unit 13, and uses the result as a trigger for outputting the weight reduction instruction information. It may be used. Further, after the increase instruction information is output, the decrease instruction information may be output when a predetermined period has elapsed in which the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone does not exceed the first threshold.

  Similarly to the increase instruction information, the decrease instruction information may be alert information that recommends the user to reduce the amount of boiling water. For example, a user who has confirmed information on the display unit 14 can operate the water heater 30 to manually reduce the amount of boiling water or maintain the increased amount of boiling water. A preferred example of the weight reduction instruction information is a weight reduction command output to the water heater 30. The decrease command is a signal for reducing the amount of boiling water and returning it to the normal amount of boiling water based on learning of the water heater 30. That is, the decrease command can be said to be an increase cancellation command or an increase invalidation command.

  The output unit 12 preferably outputs a weight reduction command as the weight reduction instruction information when the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone falls below the second threshold value. For example, in the second time zone set from 18:00 to 22:00, the output unit 12 outputs a weight reduction command on the condition that the 30-minute demand value has never exceeded the second threshold value. In this case, a weight reduction command may be output when the second time period elapses, and a boiling operation for preparing hot water for the next day or the next day may be controlled based on the weight reduction command. Further, the output unit 12 may output a weight reduction command when a state in which the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone is lower than the second threshold continues for two days or more.

  The second threshold is preferably set to a value less than the first threshold. The second threshold value may be automatically determined based on at least one of the target demand value and the first threshold value, or may be manually set by the user. When the target demand value is 4 kW and the first threshold value is 3 kW, the second threshold value may be set to 2.5 kW.

  The output unit 12 preferably outputs the decrease command on condition that a predetermined period has elapsed after the output of the increase command. That is, it is preferable to provide a prohibition period in which the output of the weight reduction command by the output unit 12 is prohibited or the acquisition of the 30-minute demand value by the acquisition unit 11 is prohibited. By providing the prohibition period, it is possible to prevent the decrease command from being output immediately after the increase command is output and returning to the normal boiling water amount. The prohibition period is set to 24 hours or more, for example. In this case, the amount of boiling water is increased at least once.

  When the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone falls below the second threshold, the output unit 12 notifies the user of a plan to reduce the amount of boiling water as the weight reduction instruction information, and has received an approval signal from the user It may be configured to output a weight reduction command on the condition. By notifying the user of the planned amount of reduction, it is possible to avoid a decrease in the amount of boiling water due to a decrease in the amount of power used due to special circumstances such as going out. The output unit 12 preferably notifies the user by outputting the reduction plan to the display unit 14 as in the case of the increase plan.

  The output unit 12 may be configured to notify the user of a change in the amount of boiling water. In particular, when not informing the user of the plan for increasing or decreasing the amount of boiling water, it is preferable to notify the user of the increase in the amount of boiling water based on the increase command and the decrease in the amount of boiling water based on the decrease command. The output unit 12 outputs a change in the amount of boiling water to the display unit 14. By notifying the user of the change in the amount of boiling water, for example, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems due to not knowing the change in the amount of boiling water.

  Hereinafter, an example of a control procedure of the water heater 30 by the water heater control system 10 having the above configuration will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Hereinafter, description will be made with specific examples with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. 7 as a comparative example as appropriate.

  3 to 5 and 7 are views showing the amount of hot water stored in the water heater 30 and the 30-minute demand value of the facility 1. Although the 30-minute demand value is calculated every 30 minutes, the 30-minute demand value is shown in units of one hour from the viewpoint of clarifying the drawing. EQ means a hot water heater 30, L means a time zone where the unit price of electricity is low, and H means a time zone where the unit price of charge is higher than L. The water heater 30 boils 80 ° C. hot water at 50 L / hour and stores it in a hot water storage tank.

  The control method of the water heater 30 as an example of the embodiment increases the amount of boiling water of the water heater 30 in the first time zone, and the step of acquiring information on at least one of resource consumption and resource consumption of the facility 1 For outputting the increase instruction information. In the step of outputting the increase instruction information, the increase instruction information is output based on the resource consumption or the resource consumption amount in the second time zone.

  In the following, it is assumed that the 30-minute demand value of the facility 1 in the second time zone is acquired in the step of acquiring information regarding at least one of resource consumption and resource consumption. In the step of outputting the increase instruction information, an increase command is output based on the acquired 30 minute demand value.

  The water heater control system 10 implements the functions of the acquisition unit 11 and the output unit 12 by, for example, reading and executing a water heater control program stored in the storage unit 13. That is, the water heater control program is a program for realizing the control of the water heater 30 by the water heater control system 10 with a computer.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, in the control procedure of the present embodiment, first, the 30-minute demand value of the facility 1 in the second time zone is acquired (S10). S <b> 10 is executed by the function of the acquisition unit 11. The acquisition unit 11 acquires a demand value for 30 minutes from the watt hour meter 20 and stores it in the storage unit 13 together with the measurement date and time. The second time zone in which S10 is executed is set to a time zone in which a long time has elapsed since the end of the boiling operation in one day. An example of the second time zone is from 18:00 to 22:00.

  Subsequently, the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone acquired in S10 is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether the 30-minute demand value exceeds the first threshold value (S11). When it is determined in S11 that the demand value for 30 minutes exceeds the first threshold, an increase command is output to the water heater 30 as increase instruction information for increasing the amount of boiling water (S12). S11 and S12 are executed by the function of the output unit 12. On the other hand, if it is not determined in S11 that the demand value for 30 minutes exceeds the first threshold, the increase command is not output, and the normal amount of boiling water based on learning of the water heater 30 is maintained.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, if the normal activity pattern for the past two weeks is an activity pattern such as day A in which a person takes a bath after dinner, the hot water heater 30 can be reheated at dinner. The nature is low. However, if the time of bath and dinner overlaps, such as from 18:00 to 21:00 on B day, the hot water heater 30 is in a time zone where many electrical devices such as the IH cooking heater 31, the LDK air conditioner 32, and the lighting 34 are used. There is a case where a reheating operation due to a decrease in the amount of stored hot water is performed. As a result, in the example shown in FIG. 3, a situation occurs in which the 30-minute demand value exceeds the first threshold in the second time period of B day.

  If the activity pattern such as day B is not a special one for that day, but continues on day C and day D, if such a situation is left unattended, the 30-minute demand value is likely to exceed the target demand value at a later date. Become. Alternatively, the hot water heater 30 is forced to stop, and the possibility of hot water running out increases. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the power consumption is larger than the same time period of B day at 18:00 to 21:00 on CX day, which is the day after B day, and the demand value exceeds the target demand value for 30 minutes. Has occurred.

  In the present embodiment, in order to prevent such a problem from occurring, on the condition that the demand value for 30 minutes has exceeded the first threshold value, an instruction to increase the amount of boiling water is output, and the amount of hot water prepared for the C day Are greater than those on days A and B. In the example shown in FIG. 3, since the heating operation for 2 hours is performed from 19:00 to 21:00 on day B, the heating operation for preparing hot water for C day may be 6 hours as usual. However, the amount of hot water for C day is increased by extending the boiling operation time to 8 hours.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, by increasing the amount of boiling water for the C day, even if the time for the bath and dinner overlaps on the C day from 18:00 to 21:00, as with the B day, the boiling point of the water heater 30 increases. Operation is not carried out. In addition, from 18:00 to 21:00 on the C day, the power consumption of electric devices other than the water heater 30 (for example, the lighting 34, the television, the microwave oven, etc.) has increased from the B day. Since the additional operation is not performed, the demand value for 30 minutes is less than the target demand value. That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the hot water outage of the water heater 30 while controlling the water heater 30 so that the 30-minute demand value of the facility 1 does not exceed the target demand value.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, in the control procedure of the present embodiment, after a predetermined period of time has passed since the instruction to increase the amount of boiling water was output (S 13), the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone is again obtained. Obtain (S14). S13 and S14 are executed by the function of the acquisition unit 11. As described above, the predetermined period is a prohibition period in which acquisition of the 30-minute demand value by the acquisition unit 11 is prohibited. The prohibition period is set to 24 hours or more, for example.

  In the control procedure of the present embodiment, the 30-minute demand value in the second time period acquired in S14 is compared with the second threshold value, and it is determined whether the 30-minute demand value is below the second threshold value. (S15). And when it determines with a demand value for 30 minutes being less than a 2nd threshold value by S15, a weight reduction instruction | command is output to the water heater 30 as weight reduction instruction information for reducing the amount of boiling water (S16). S15 and S16 are executed by the function of the output unit 12. On the other hand, if it is not determined in S15 that the demand value for 30 minutes falls below the second threshold value, the decrease command is not output, and the amount of boiling water increased by the increase command is maintained.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, the power consumption amount of the LDK air conditioner 32, the lighting 34, and the like has decreased at 18:00 to 22:00, which is the second time zone on the P day, so the demand value for 30 minutes exceeds the second threshold value. The situation is below. In such a case, even if the hot water heater 30 is reheated during the second time zone, the 30 minute demand value is unlikely to exceed the target demand value and the first threshold value, so the increase command It is preferable to save energy by reducing the amount of boiling water increased by.

  In the present embodiment, in the second time zone of P day, the amount of boiling water is reduced on condition that the 30-minute demand value is always below the second threshold value and never exceeds the second threshold value. The command is output. And the boiling operation which prepares the hot water for R day is controlled by this weight reduction command. The amount of boiling water prepared for the R day returns to the normal amount of boiling water based on the learning of the water heater 30, and is smaller than that on the P and Q days. In addition, the amount of boiling water on the Q day may be decreased based on the reduction command on the P day, and the demand value for 30 minutes in the second time zone is lower than the second threshold over the 2nd day of the P day and the Q day. A weight reduction command may be output on the condition.

  Hereinafter, another example of the control procedure of the water heater 30 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the following, differences from the control procedure shown in FIG. 2 will be mainly described.

  The control procedure illustrated in FIG. 6 is different from the control procedure illustrated in FIG. 2 in that steps S22, S23 and S28, S29 are added. In the example shown in FIG. 6, when it is determined that the 30-minute demand value acquired in S20 exceeds the first threshold value (S21), the display unit 14 is used to inform the user that the amount of boiling water is to be increased. Notification is made (S22). And the presence or absence of the approval signal based on the approval operation etc. of the input part 15 is determined (S23), and when the approval signal is received, an increase command is output (S24). S21 to S24 are executed by the function of the output unit 12.

  By providing S22 and S23, it can be urged to refrain from using unnecessary power, and an increase in the amount of boiling water can be avoided. In the case of the B day illustrated in FIG. 3, the user can reduce the output of the IH cooking heater 31, the LDK air conditioner 32, or the like, or stop the heating operation of the hot water heater 30, so Power consumption can be reduced. However, in the case of the B day, when the boiling operation is stopped, hot water runs out. Even when the amount of electric power used increases due to special circumstances such as visitors, by providing S22 and S23, an increase in the amount of boiling water can be avoided.

  Also in the example shown in FIG. 6, after a predetermined period has elapsed from the output of the increase command (S25), the 30-minute demand value in the second time zone is acquired again (S26), and the 30-minute demand value is the second value. It is determined whether or not the threshold value is below (S27). However, in the example shown in FIG. 6, when it is determined that the 30-minute demand value is lower than the second threshold, the display unit 14 is used to notify the user of a plan to reduce the amount of boiling water (S28). And the presence or absence of the approval signal based on the approval operation etc. of the input part 15 is determined (S29), and a weight reduction command is output when the approval signal is received (S30). S27 to S30 are executed by the function of the output unit 12.

  By providing S28 and S29, it is possible to avoid returning to the normal amount of boiling water based on learning of the water heater 30 when the amount of power used decreases due to special circumstances such as going out. In addition, it may replace with S22, S23 and S28, S29, and may provide the step which alert | reports to a user that the amount of hot water was changed after the amount of boiling hot water was changed.

  As described above, according to the water heater control system 10 and the above-described control method, it is possible to suppress the hot water outage of the water heater 30 while suppressing the demand value of the facility 1 to be less than the target demand value.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 facility, 10 water heater control system, 11 acquisition part, 12 output part, 13 memory | storage part, 14 display part, 15 input part, 20 watt-hour meter, 21 distribution board, 30 water heater, 31 IH cooking heater, 32 LDK air conditioner , 33 bedroom air conditioner, 34 lighting, 35 power storage system

Claims (12)

A water heater control system for controlling a hot water storage type hot water heater installed in a facility,
An acquisition unit for acquiring information on at least one of resource consumption and resource consumption of the facility;
An output unit for outputting increase instruction information for increasing the amount of boiling water of the water heater in a first time zone;
With
The said output part is a water heater control system which outputs the said increase instruction | indication information based on at least one of the said resource consumption in the 2nd time slot | zone, and the said resource consumption. At least a part of the first time zone is a time zone where the unit price of the resource determined by the resource supplier is low,
2. The hot water heater control system according to claim 1, wherein the second time zone is a time zone in which an increase in boiling due to a decrease in the amount of hot water stored in the water heater is assumed.   The hot water supply according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output unit outputs the increase instruction information when at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption amount in the second time zone exceeds a first threshold value. Machine control system.   The output unit notifies the user of an increase plan of the amount of boiling water as the increase instruction information when at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption amount in the second time period exceeds a first threshold. And the hot water supply control system of Claim 1 or 2 which outputs the increase instruction | indication to the said water heater on the condition that the approval signal based on the said user's approval operation was received.   The water heater control system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first threshold value is set to a value less than a threshold value based on a resource charge determined by a resource supplier.   The output unit outputs a decrease instruction information for decreasing the amount of boiling water increased by the increase instruction information based on at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption in the second time period. The water heater control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   The water heater control according to claim 6, wherein the output unit outputs the weight reduction instruction information when at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption amount in the second time period falls below a second threshold. system.   The output unit notifies a user of a plan to reduce the amount of boiling water as the weight reduction instruction information when at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption amount in the second time period falls below a second threshold. The water heater control system according to claim 6, wherein a weight reduction command is output to the water heater on condition that an approval signal based on an approval operation of the user is received.   The water heater control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the output unit notifies a user of a change in the amount of boiling water.   The water heater control system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the resource consumption is power consumption, and the resource consumption is power consumption. A method of controlling a water heater that controls a hot water storage type water heater installed in a facility,
Obtaining information on at least one of resource consumption and resource consumption of the facility;
Outputting increase instruction information for increasing the amount of boiling water of the water heater in a first time zone;
Including
In the step of outputting the increase instruction information, the method of controlling a water heater, wherein the increase instruction information is output based on at least one of the resource consumption and the resource consumption in a second time zone.   A water heater control program for realizing the control method according to claim 11 by a computer.

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