JP7475128B2 - Energy saving effect estimation device, energy saving effect estimation system, energy saving effect estimation method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an energy saving effect estimation device, an energy saving effect estimation system, an energy saving effect estimation method, and a program.

Air conditioners installed in properties such as office buildings and commercial facilities are operated and maintained and inspected by the manager of the air conditioner or the property. Such managers provide customers, who are the owners of the properties, with licenses to control the air conditioner in an energy-saving manner or to expand the functions of the air conditioner for a fee. For example, the air conditioner manager may recommend to the customer that they obtain a license for energy-saving control of the air conditioner.

However, before obtaining a license for energy saving control of air conditioners, energy saving control is not performed, so it is not possible to estimate the energy saving effect that would be obtained if energy saving control were performed. This creates a problem for customers in that they are unable to determine whether or not to obtain a license.

On the other hand, the manager of the air conditioner can collect air conditioning data from the air conditioner, since maintenance is performed even if the customer has not obtained a license for energy saving control. From the air conditioning data, it is possible to obtain the characteristics of the air conditioned space. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for measuring the heat load of the air conditioned space in which the air conditioner is installed.

International Publication No. 2014/162509

However, while the above-mentioned conventional technologies can identify the characteristics of the space to be air-conditioned, they cannot identify the energy-saving effects that can be achieved by implementing energy-saving control on the air conditioners installed in the customer's property.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an energy saving effect estimation device, an energy saving effect estimation system, an energy saving effect estimation method, and a program that are capable of estimating the energy saving effect obtained when energy saving control is performed for an air conditioner installed in a specific property.

In order to achieve the above object, an energy saving effect estimation device according to the present invention comprises:
a heat load feature amount acquisition means for acquiring heat load feature amounts calculated for a plurality of properties based on air conditioning data collected from air conditioners installed in the plurality of properties;
an energy saving effect estimation means for acquiring a value indicating the energy saving effect of the energy saving control for a property among the plurality of properties for which a license to implement energy saving control for the air conditioner has been acquired and the energy saving control is being implemented, and for which the heat load feature amount of the property implementing the energy saving control is compared with the heat load feature amount of a property for which a license to implement the energy saving control has not been acquired and the energy saving control is not being implemented, thereby calculating an estimate of the energy saving effect of the property not implementing the energy saving control from the value indicating the energy saving effect of the property implementing the energy saving control ;
and a property classification means for classifying the plurality of properties into one or more clusters based on the thermal load feature amount,
The energy saving effect estimation means estimates the energy saving effect of a property that is not implementing the energy saving control as a representative value of the value indicating the energy saving effect of the property that is implementing the energy saving control, which is included in a cluster that includes properties that are not implementing the energy saving effect .

The present invention provides an energy saving effect estimation device, an energy saving effect estimation system, an energy saving effect estimation method, and a program that can estimate the energy saving effect obtained when energy saving control is performed for an air conditioner installed in a specific property.

Block diagram of an energy saving effect estimation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an energy saving effect estimation device according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an energy saving effect estimation device according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of air conditioning data according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of data of a heat load feature amount according to the embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of property data according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of data on a power consumption reduction rate according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a classification result of properties according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on a screen of a terminal device according to an embodiment; 1 is a flowchart showing a heat load feature amount calculation process executed by an energy saving effect estimation device according to an embodiment; 1 is a flowchart showing an energy saving effect calculation process executed by an energy saving effect estimation device according to an embodiment; A flowchart showing an energy saving effect presentation process executed by the energy saving effect estimation system according to the embodiment. A flowchart showing a property classification process executed by the energy saving effect estimation device according to the embodiment. A flowchart showing an energy saving effect estimation process executed by an energy saving effect estimation device according to an embodiment.

(Embodiment)
The energy saving effect estimation system 1 according to the embodiment is a system capable of estimating the energy saving effect obtained when energy saving control is performed on an air conditioner in a property where energy saving control is not performed on the air conditioner. As shown in Fig. 1, the energy saving effect estimation system 1 includes an energy saving effect estimation device 100 that estimates the energy saving effect, air conditioners 200-1, ..., 200-i (i: natural number of 2 or more) installed in a plurality of properties, and a terminal device 300 that presents the estimated energy saving effect. Hereinafter, except when describing a specific air conditioner, the air conditioners 200-1, ..., 200-i will be collectively referred to as air conditioner 200.

The energy saving effect estimation device 100 communicates with air conditioners 200 installed in multiple properties via a network 400-1. The properties are, for example, office buildings, commercial facilities, and apartment buildings. The energy saving effect estimation device 100 also communicates with a terminal device 300 via a network 400-2. The energy saving effect estimation device 100 collects air conditioning data (described below) from the air conditioners 200, and estimates energy saving effects based on the collected air conditioning data. In response to a request from the terminal device 300, the energy saving effect estimation device 100 also transmits an estimate of the energy saving effect for the property related to the request to the terminal device 300.

Air conditioner 200 is installed in multiple properties. For example, air conditioner 200-1 is installed in property A, and air conditioner 200-2 is installed in property B. Each air conditioner 200 is equipped with an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, and an air conditioning control device. For example, air conditioner 200-1 is equipped with indoor units 210-1, ..., 210-m1 (m1: natural number of 1 or more), outdoor units 220-1, ..., 220-n1 (n1: natural number of 1 or more), and air conditioning control device 230. Air conditioner 200-i is equipped with indoor units 210-1, ..., 210-mi (mi: natural number of 1 or more), outdoor units 220-1, ..., 220-ni (ni: natural number of 1 or more), and air conditioning control device 230. The air conditioning control device 230 of the air conditioner 200 transmits the air conditioning data to the energy saving effect estimation device 100. In the following, the indoor units of each of the air conditioners 200 are collectively referred to as the indoor units 210, and the outdoor units of each of the air conditioners 200 are collectively referred to as the outdoor units 220.

The properties in which the air conditioner 200 is installed include properties for which a license to implement energy saving control for the air conditioner 200 has been obtained, and properties for which a license to implement energy saving control has not been obtained. The license to implement energy saving control is obtained by the customer from the manager of the air conditioner 200. The customer is typically the owner of the property. In the following, the customer will be described as the owner of the property. The manager of the air conditioner 200 is a person who provides services such as operation control and maintenance inspection of the air conditioner, and has a maintenance contract with the customer. Therefore, the manager of the air conditioner 200 can collect air conditioning data for the air conditioner 200 installed in the customer's property. Note that the manager of the air conditioner 200 may also be the manager of the entire property.

Here, energy saving control is control that suppresses the power consumed by the air conditioner 200, and examples of this include rotation control and capacity saving control. Rotation control refers to control in which multiple indoor units 210 in a certain property are considered as one group, at least one indoor unit in the group is stopped, the air is blown, and the temperature is set to an upper or lower setting, or other operation content that suppresses power consumption, and the indoor units 210 whose operation content is changed are rotated within the group at specified time intervals such as 3 minutes, 6 minutes, 9 minutes, and 15 minutes. Capacity saving control is control that limits the maximum capacity, such as the compressor frequency of the outdoor unit 220. For example, if the capacity saving rate is 80%, the outdoor unit 220 will only operate up to 80% of its maximum capacity. In addition, energy saving control includes various controls that suppress power consumption, such as control that takes into account the installation position of the air conditioner 200, such as raising or lowering the set temperature of the air conditioner 200 on the corridor side.

The terminal device 300 is a device that receives an instruction to present an estimated value of the energy saving effect and presents the estimated value of the energy saving effect. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc.

Networks 400-1 and 400-2 are wireless or wired communication networks, such as the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a telephone network, etc.

Next, the hardware configuration of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The energy saving effect estimation device 100 has a processor 11 that performs processing to obtain an estimated value of the energy saving effect, a main memory unit 12 used as a working area for the processor 11, an auxiliary memory unit 13 that stores various data used in the processing of the processor 11, a communication unit 14 for communicating with external devices, and an RTC (Real Time Clock) 15 that keeps time. The main memory unit 12, the auxiliary memory unit 13, the communication unit 14, and the RTC 15 are all connected to the processor 11 via a bus 16.

The processor 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 11 executes programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 13 to realize various functions of the energy saving effect estimation device 100.

The main memory unit 12 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory). Programs are loaded into the main memory unit 12 from the auxiliary memory unit 13. The main memory unit 12 is used as a working area for the processor 11.

The auxiliary storage unit 13 includes a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). In addition to programs, the auxiliary storage unit 13 stores various data used in the processing of the processor 11. In accordance with instructions from the processor 11, the auxiliary storage unit 13 supplies the processor 11 with data used by the processor 11, and stores the data supplied from the processor 11.

The communication unit 14 includes a network interface circuit for communicating with an external device. The communication unit 14 receives a signal from the external device and outputs data indicated by this signal to the processor 11. The communication unit 14 also transmits a signal indicating the data output from the processor 11 to the external device.

The RTC 15 is a timing device equipped with an oscillation circuit using a crystal oscillator. The RTC 15, for example, has a built-in battery and continues to measure time even when the energy saving effect estimation device 100 is powered off.

Next, the hardware configuration of the air conditioner 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The air conditioner 200 includes an indoor unit 210 installed inside the room of the property, an outdoor unit 220 installed outside the room of the property, and an air conditioning control device 230 that controls the indoor unit 210 and the outdoor unit 220.

The indoor unit 210 includes a heat exchanger 211 that functions as a condenser to condense the refrigerant or an evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant, a fan 212 that takes in indoor air, an air direction control plate 213 for adjusting the direction of the blown air, a temperature sensor 214 that measures the temperature in the room, and a humidity sensor 215 that measures the humidity in the room.

The heat exchanger 211 functions as an evaporator during cooling operation and as a condenser during heating operation. The heat exchanger 211 exchanges heat between the air taken in by the fan 212 and the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger 211.

The fan 212 takes in indoor air through the intake port, and blows out the air that has been heat exchanged by the heat exchanger 211 through the outlet port. For example, a sirocco fan, a turbo fan, etc., may be used as the fan 212.

The wind direction control plate 213 adjusts the direction of the temperature-adjusted air, i.e., the wind direction, by its inclination.

The temperature sensor 214 detects the temperature inside the room, which is the space to be air-conditioned. For example, the temperature sensor 214 detects the temperature of the air drawn in through the intake port of the indoor unit 210.

The humidity sensor 215 detects the humidity in the room, which is the space to be air-conditioned.

The outdoor unit 220 includes a heat exchanger 221 that functions as a condenser to condense the refrigerant or an evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant, a fan 222 that takes in air from outside, and a temperature sensor 223 that measures the outdoor temperature.

The heat exchanger 221 functions as a condenser during cooling operation and as an evaporator during heating operation. The heat exchanger 221 exchanges heat between the air taken in by the fan 222 and the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger 221.

The fan 222 takes in outdoor air through the intake port and blows the air that has been heat exchanged by the heat exchanger 221 out through the outlet port.

The temperature sensor 223 detects the outdoor temperature outside the space to be air-conditioned.

The air conditioning control device 230 has a processor 231 that performs processing to control the air conditioner 200, a main memory unit 232 that is used as a working area for the processor 231, an auxiliary memory unit 233 that stores various data used in the processing of the processor 231, a communication unit 234 for communicating with external devices, an RTC 235 that keeps time, and a power meter 236 that measures the power consumed by the air conditioner 200. The main memory unit 232, the auxiliary memory unit 233, the communication unit 234, the RTC 235, and the power meter 236 are all connected to the processor 231 via a bus 237.

The processor 231, the main memory unit 232, the auxiliary memory unit 233, the communication unit 234, and the RTC 235 have the same functions as the processor 11, the main memory unit 12, the auxiliary memory unit 13, the communication unit 14, and the RTC 15, respectively.

The power meter 236 measures the power supplied to the air conditioner 200 via the power line. The processor 231 calculates the amount of power in a unit period based on the measured power. The calculated amount of power is transmitted to the energy saving effect estimation device 100 via the communication unit 234.

Next, the hardware configuration of the terminal device 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The terminal device 300 has a processor 31 that performs processing according to input from a user, a main memory unit 32 that is used as a working area for the processor 31, an auxiliary memory unit 33 that stores various data used in the processing of the processor 31, a communication unit 34 for communicating with external devices, an input unit 35 that acquires information input by the user, an output unit 36 that presents various information to the user, and an RTC 37 that keeps time. The main memory unit 32, the auxiliary memory unit 33, the communication unit 34, the input unit 35, the output unit 36, and the RTC 37 are all connected to the processor 31 via a bus 38.

The processor 31, the main memory unit 32, the auxiliary memory unit 33, the communication unit 34, and the RTC 37 have the same functions as the processor 11, the main memory unit 12, the auxiliary memory unit 13, the communication unit 14, and the RTC 15, respectively.

The input unit 35 includes input devices such as input keys and a pointing device. The input unit 35 acquires information input by the user and notifies the processor 31 of the acquired information.

The output unit 36 includes output devices such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a speaker. The output unit 36 may be configured as a touch screen integrally formed with a pointing device constituting the input unit 35. The output unit 36 presents various information to the user according to instructions from the processor 31.

Next, the functions of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The energy saving effect estimation device 100 functionally includes a collection unit 101 that collects air conditioning data from the air conditioner 200, an air conditioning data storage unit 102 that stores the air conditioning data, a heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 that calculates a heat load feature amount of a property using the air conditioning data, a heat load feature amount storage unit 104 that stores the heat load feature amount, an energy saving effect calculation unit 105 that calculates a value indicating the energy saving effect using the air conditioning data, an energy saving effect storage unit 106 that stores the value indicating the energy saving effect, a property classification unit 107 that classifies the property in which the air conditioner 200 is installed, and an energy saving effect estimation unit 108 that estimates a value indicating the energy saving effect.

The collection unit 101 periodically collects air conditioning data from air conditioners 200 installed in multiple properties. The collection unit 101 is realized by the processor 11 and the communication unit 14 working together. The collection unit 101 is an example of a collection means.

Air conditioning data is information that includes settings such as the set temperature and operation mode set in the air conditioner 200, as well as measurement values measured and calculated by the air conditioner 200.

In addition, "collect periodically" means that the collection unit 101 repeatedly collects air conditioning data, and the collection interval is not limited to being constant. The interval is determined arbitrarily by the administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device 100. The interval may be set according to a predetermined rule, or may be set to an irregular value.

The collection unit 101 writes the collected air conditioning data to the air conditioning data storage unit 102. Figure 6 shows an example of air conditioning data stored in the air conditioning data storage unit 102.

The table in FIG. 6 is, for example, air conditioning data collected from the air conditioner 200-1. The air conditioner ID of the air conditioner 200-1 is "00001". The air conditioning data of all the air conditioners 200 that are connected to the energy saving effect estimation device 100 and for which collection of air conditioning data is permitted is registered in the air conditioning data storage unit 102, and a table of air conditioning data as shown in FIG. 6 is stored for each air conditioner 200. In this embodiment, the air conditioning data is collected every minute. In the table in FIG. 6, the date and time when the air conditioning data was collected, the set temperature set in the air conditioner, the intake temperature of the air sucked in from the intake port of the indoor unit 210, the operating state of the air conditioner 200, the outside air temperature measured by the temperature sensor 223 of the outdoor unit 220, the control contents of the air conditioner 200, the operating mode of the air conditioner 200, and the power consumption of the air conditioner 200 are registered in association with each other.

The operating states include "Thermo On", which indicates the operating state when the room temperature has not reached the set temperature, "Thermo Off", which indicates the operating state when the room temperature has reached the set temperature, and "Preparing", which indicates the operating state before transitioning to the Thermo On operating state. The control contents include "Normal", "Energy Saving Control 1", "Energy Saving Control 2", and "Energy Saving Control 3". The control contents "Normal" indicates air conditioning control in which air conditioning control that provides an energy saving effect is not performed. Furthermore, "Energy Saving Control 1", "Energy Saving Control 2", and "Energy Saving Control 3" indicate air conditioning control in which an energy saving effect is obtained. In the air conditioning data of the air conditioner 200 installed in a property that has not obtained a license for energy saving control, only "Normal" is written in the control contents column. The power consumption is the amount of power measured by the power meter 236, and indicates the amount of power consumed by the air conditioner 200 in a predetermined unit period. In this embodiment, the unit period is one minute, and the amount of power measured in the minute immediately preceding the date and time when the air conditioning data was collected.

The record in the first row of the table in Figure 6 indicates that air conditioning data was collected at "August 26, 2019, 14:00", the set temperature of air conditioner 200-1 is "26°C", the intake temperature is "26.5°C", the operating state is "Thermo On", the outside temperature outside the space to be air-conditioned by air conditioner 200-1 is "28.2°C", the control content of air conditioner 200-1 is "Normal", the operating mode is "Cooling", and the power consumption is "0.3 kWh".

The heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 in FIG. 5 calculates the heat load feature amount of the property in which the air conditioner 200 is installed based on the air conditioning data, and writes it to the heat load feature amount storage unit 104 as described below. The heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 also acquires the calculated heat load feature amount from the heat load feature amount storage unit 104. The heat load calculation process performed by the heat load feature amount calculation unit 103, which will be described later, may be performed at the same timing as the collection process performed by the collection unit 101, or may be performed at a different timing. For example, the collection unit 101 collects air conditioning data every minute, and the heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 calculates the heat load feature amount every hour based on the collected air conditioning data. Alternatively, the heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 performs the heat load feature amount calculation process according to the operation of the administrator of the energy saving control estimation device 100. The heat load feature amount calculation is realized by the processor 11. The thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 is an example of a thermal load feature amount acquisition means and a thermal load feature amount calculation means.

The thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 first classifies the air conditioning data of each air conditioner 200 by operating state. Next, the thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 classifies the air conditioning data classified by operating state by outdoor temperature zone at a pre-specified interval. Then, for each classified air conditioning data, the thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 calculates the difference between the suction temperature of the air conditioner 200 and the set temperature, and calculates the average value for each outdoor temperature zone. Furthermore, the thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 calculates the average value of the difference calculated for each outdoor temperature zone for each operating state, and sets this as the thermal load feature amount of the property in which the air conditioner 200 is installed. In other words, the thermal load feature amount of the property is a multidimensional vector represented by k thermal load feature amounts, where k is the number of operating states. The thermal load feature amount is an index used when calculating the similarity between properties, as described later.

Taking the table in FIG. 6 as an example, the heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 first classifies the air conditioning data into each operating state of "thermo on", "thermo off", and "preparing". The heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 then further classifies each of the air conditioning data classified into each operating state into outdoor temperature zones set at 5°C intervals, such as 0°C to 5°C, 6°C to 10°C, ..., 36°C to 40°C. For the air conditioning data classified into outdoor temperature zones, the heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 calculates the difference between the intake temperature and the set temperature at intervals at which the collection unit 101 collects the air conditioning data, i.e., every minute, and calculates the average value for each outdoor temperature zone. Hereinafter, this value is referred to as the outdoor temperature zone heat load feature amount. If there are eight outdoor temperature zones, eight outdoor temperature zone heat load features are calculated. The thermal load feature calculation unit 103 further calculates the average value of the outdoor temperature zone thermal load feature and writes this to the thermal load feature storage unit 104 as the thermal load feature for each operating state. The interval between the outdoor temperature zones can be set arbitrarily by the administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device. The interval of the air conditioning data for which the difference is calculated may be changed to 30 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc., depending on the interval at which the collection unit 101 collects the air conditioning data. Figure 7 shows an example of thermal load feature data stored in the thermal load feature storage unit 104.

In the table of FIG. 7, an air conditioner ID for identifying the air conditioner 200, the operating state of the air conditioner 200, the outdoor temperature zone, the outdoor temperature zone heat load feature, and the heat load feature are registered in association with each other. Data on all air conditioners 200 for which air conditioning data has been collected is registered in this table. In the records of air conditioners 200 for which the outdoor temperature zone heat load feature and heat load feature have not been calculated, the columns for the outdoor temperature zone heat load feature and heat load feature are left blank.

For example, the first row of the table in Figure 7 shows that when an air conditioner with air conditioner ID "00001" is in the "Thermo On" operating state and the outdoor temperature range is "0°C to 5°C", the outdoor temperature range heat load feature value is "+0.3°C", and the "Thermo On" operating state heat load feature value is "+0.4°C".

The energy saving effect calculation unit 105 in FIG. 5 calculates a value indicating the energy saving effect due to energy saving control of the air conditioner 200 based on the air conditioning data collected by the collection unit 101. Hereinafter, the value indicating the energy saving effect due to energy saving control of the air conditioner 200 is referred to as the "energy saving effect value". Hereinafter, the air conditioner 200 for which the energy saving effect value is calculated is limited to an air conditioner 200 installed in a property where the owner of the property has obtained a license for energy saving control and energy saving control has been introduced. The energy saving effect calculation unit 105 writes the calculated energy saving effect value to the energy saving effect storage unit 106 as described later. In addition, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 acquires the energy saving effect value from the energy saving effect storage unit 106. The energy saving effect calculation unit 105 is realized by the processor 11. Note that the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 is an example of an energy saving effect calculation means.

The air conditioning data storage unit 102 stores a table of property data that indicates the correspondence between properties and the air conditioners 200 installed in the properties. Figure 8 shows an example of a table showing property data.

In the table of FIG. 8, a property ID for identifying the property, an air conditioner ID for identifying the air conditioner 200, and energy saving control license information indicating whether a license for energy saving control has been obtained for the property are registered in association with each other. The energy saving control license information "Yes" indicates that the owner of the property has obtained a license for energy saving control of the air conditioner 200 and can perform energy saving control of the air conditioner 200. The energy saving control license information "No" indicates that the owner of the property has not obtained a license for energy saving control of the air conditioner 200 and cannot perform energy saving control of the air conditioner 200.

For example, the first row of the table in Figure 8 indicates that an air conditioner 200 with an air conditioner ID of "00001" is installed in a property with a property ID of "A", and that the air conditioner 200 with the air conditioner ID of "00001" is capable of energy saving control. Furthermore, the fourth row of the table in Figure 8 indicates that an air conditioner 200 with an air conditioner ID of "00010" is installed in a property with a property ID of "X", and that the air conditioner 200 with the air conditioner ID of "00010" cannot perform energy saving control.

The energy saving control effect calculation unit 105 first refers to the property data in FIG. 8 to identify an air conditioner 200 for which an energy saving effect value can be calculated, that is, an air conditioner ID associated with the energy saving control license presence information "present". The energy saving effect calculation unit 105 refers to the air conditioning data stored in the air conditioning data storage unit 102 and associated with the identified air conditioner ID, and calculates, for each outdoor temperature zone and each operation mode, the average power consumption when normal control is performed for the air conditioner 200, and the average power consumption when energy saving control is performed. Next, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 calculates the energy saving effect value for each outdoor temperature zone and each operation mode.

In this embodiment, the energy saving effect value is the power consumption reduction rate. Using the average power consumption during normal control and the average power consumption during energy saving control, the power consumption reduction rate is calculated based on the following (Equation 1).

Power consumption reduction rate (%) = (1 - average power consumption during energy saving control / average power consumption during normal control) x 100 ... (Formula 1)

The energy saving effect calculation unit 105 then calculates the average value for each operation mode of the power consumption reduction rate calculated for each outdoor temperature zone and each operation mode. The average value of the calculated power consumption reduction rates is set as the power consumption reduction rate obtained by the energy saving control.

Specifically, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 calculates the average power consumption for the air conditioning data with the control content of "normal" in the table of FIG. 6 for each outdoor temperature range in 5°C intervals, such as 0°C to 5°C, ..., 36°C to 40°C, and for each operation mode of "cooling" and "heating". In addition, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 calculates the average power consumption for each outdoor temperature range and operation mode for each of the air conditioning data with the control content of "energy saving control 1", "energy saving control 2", and "energy saving control 3" in the table of FIG. 6.

Next, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 calculates the power consumption reduction rate for each of the above outdoor temperature ranges and operation modes for each of "energy saving control 1", "energy saving control 2", and "energy saving control 3". For example, the power consumption reduction rate for "energy saving control 1" when the outdoor temperature range is 0°C to 5°C and the operation mode is "cooling" is calculated according to (Formula 1) using the average power consumption for the outdoor temperature range of 0°C to 5°C and the operation mode of "cooling" for "energy saving control 1" and the average power consumption for the outdoor temperature range of 0°C to 5°C and the operation mode of "cooling" for "normal". After calculating the power consumption reduction rate for each of "energy saving control 1", "energy saving control 2", and "energy saving control 3" for each of the above outdoor temperature ranges and operation modes, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 further calculates the average for each operation mode. That is, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 calculates the average value of the power consumption reduction rate in the outdoor temperature range of "0°C to 5°C" in "energy saving control 1", the power consumption reduction rate in the outdoor temperature range of "6°C to 10°C" in "energy saving control 1", ..., the power consumption reduction rate in the outdoor temperature range of "36°C to 40°C" in "energy saving control 1" for each of the operation modes "cooling" and "heating", and sets the calculated values as the power consumption during "cooling" operation in "energy saving control 1" and the power consumption during "heating" operation in "energy saving control 1" of the air conditioner 200 with the air conditioner ID "00001". The energy saving effect calculation unit 105 writes the calculated power consumption reduction rate to the energy saving effect storage unit 106. FIG. 9 shows an example of the power consumption reduction rate data stored in the energy saving effect storage unit 106.

In the table in Figure 9, the air conditioner ID for identifying the air conditioner 200, the control name of the energy saving control, the operation mode, and the power consumption reduction rate achieved by the energy saving control are registered in association with each other.

For example, the first row of the table in Figure 9 shows that when the air conditioner with air conditioner ID "00001" is performing "energy saving control 1" air conditioning control and the operating mode is "cooling", the amount of power consumed is reduced by "5%" compared to when "normal" air conditioning control is being performed.

The property classification unit 107 in FIG. 5 classifies properties into one or more clusters by referring to the thermal load feature data stored in the thermal load feature storage unit 104 and the property data stored in the air conditioning data storage unit 102. The property classification unit 107 is realized by the processor 11. The property classification unit 107 is an example of a property classification means.

Specifically, the property classification unit 107 refers to the heat load feature data in FIG. 7 and the property data in FIG. 8 to acquire data on the heat load feature for each operating state of the air conditioner 200 as data indicating the property features. For example, the features of property A are the heat load feature of "Thermo On" of air conditioner ID "00001" of "+0.4", the heat load feature of "Thermo Off" of "-0.3", and the heat load feature of "In Preparation" of "+0.6". The property classification unit 107 calculates the similarity between properties based on the property features.

The property classification unit 107 first regards one property as one cluster and calculates the number of clusters. If the number of clusters is greater than a predetermined threshold, the clusters are merged based on the similarity between the clusters. The similarity between clusters is, for example, the Euclidean distance of the heat load features between the properties included in the clusters, and the shorter the Euclidean distance, the greater the similarity is considered to be. The property classification unit 107 finds the similarity between two clusters and merges the cluster pair with the greatest similarity into one cluster. If the number of clusters after the merge is greater than the threshold, the similarity between the clusters after the merge is further found and the cluster merging is continued.

The similarity is determined arbitrarily by the administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device. For example, the smallest or largest Euclidean distance between the thermal load feature of the property included in cluster 1 and the thermal load feature of the property included in cluster 2 may be the similarity between cluster 1 and cluster 2, or the Euclidean distance between the center of gravity of cluster 1 and the center of gravity of cluster 2 may be the similarity between cluster 1 and cluster 2. The similarity between cluster 1 and cluster 2 may be determined by subtracting the sum of squares of the Euclidean distance between the center of gravity of cluster 2 and the thermal load feature of the property included in cluster 2 from the sum of squares of the Euclidean distance between the center of gravity of cluster 1 and the thermal load feature of the property included in cluster 1. The similarity between cluster 1 and cluster 2 may be defined by the inner product of the thermal load feature of the property between the clusters.

The property classification unit 107 ends the classification of properties when the number of clusters falls below a predetermined threshold. For example, if the threshold for the number of clusters is set to "3" and the properties having air conditioners for which the thermal load feature data of FIG. 7 is being sought are classified into cluster 1, cluster 2, and cluster 3, the property classification unit 107 ends the classification. An example of the classification result is shown in FIG. 10.

Figure 10 shows the results of classifying properties based on the heat load features calculated for each operating state: "Thermo on", "Thermo off", and "Preparation". The example in Figure 10 shows that properties A and X are classified into cluster 1, and property B is classified into cluster 2.

The energy saving effect estimation unit 108 in FIG. 5 calculates an estimated value of the energy saving effect in a property where energy saving control is not implemented by comparing the heat load feature value of the property where energy saving control is implemented with the heat load feature value of the property where energy saving control is not implemented. The estimated value of the energy saving effect in a property where energy saving control is not implemented is called an "estimated energy saving effect value." The energy saving effect estimation unit 108 calculates an estimated energy saving effect value of a specified property based on an operation by an administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 or an operation by a user of the terminal device 300, as described below. The energy saving effect estimation unit 108 is realized by the processor 11. The energy saving effect estimation unit 108 is an example of an energy saving effect estimation means.

Specifically, if property X is included in cluster 1, the estimated value of the energy saving effect in property X where energy saving control is not implemented is calculated based on the energy saving effect values of properties where energy saving control is implemented other than property X included in cluster 1. For example, the energy saving effect estimation unit 108 sets the representative value of the power consumption reduction rate of the air conditioner 200 installed in the property in cluster 1 as the estimated value of the energy saving effect of property X. The representative value can be arbitrarily specified by the administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 as the average value, median, mode, etc. within the cluster. For example, if the average values of the power consumption reduction rates when "energy saving control 1", "energy saving control 2", and "energy saving control 3" are implemented during heating operation for the air conditioner 200 installed in the property in cluster 1, respectively, are "5%, "10%," and "15%, "the energy saving effect estimation unit 108 determines the estimated energy saving effect values when "energy saving control 1", "energy saving control 2", and "energy saving control 3" are implemented during heating operation for the air conditioner 200 installed in property X to be "5%, "10%," and "15%".

Next, the functions of the terminal device 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. The terminal device 300 includes a transmission unit 301 that transmits a request for an energy saving effect estimate, a reception unit 302 that receives a response including information related to the energy saving effect estimate, and a display unit 303 that displays information related to the energy saving effect estimate.

The transmission unit 301 transmits a request to the energy saving effect estimation device 100 to obtain an energy saving effect estimate for a property where energy saving control is not performed on the air conditioner 200, based on a user's operation. The transmission unit 301 is realized by the processor 31, the communication unit 34, and the input unit 35 working together. The transmission unit 301 is an example of a transmission means.

For example, when a user who is selling to the owner of property X, who does not have a license for energy saving control, to obtain a license performs an operation on the terminal device 300 to obtain an energy saving effect estimate for property X, the transmission unit 301 transmits a request to the energy saving effect estimation device 100 to obtain an energy saving effect estimate with property X specified.

The receiving unit 302 receives a response including information about the energy saving effect estimation value from the energy saving effect estimation device 100. The receiving unit 302 is realized by the processor 31 and the communication unit 34 working together. The receiving unit 302 is an example of a receiving means.

For example, the receiving unit 302 receives data from the energy saving effect estimation device 100 in which the estimated energy saving effect values when "energy saving control 1", "energy saving control 2", and "energy saving control 3" are implemented in property X are written as "5%, "10%," and "15%".

The receiving unit 302 also receives information on the classification results obtained by the property classification unit 107 from the energy saving effect estimation device 100.

For example, information showing the three-axis graph shown in Figure 10 is received.

The display unit 303 displays the energy saving effect estimate and the classification result based on the data received by the receiving unit 302. The classification result is obtained by plotting the data of each property in a multidimensional space. The display unit 303 is realized by the processor 31 and the output unit 36 working together. The display unit 303 is an example of a display means.

Figure 12 shows an example of an image displayed by the display unit 303. Image 310 includes an estimated energy saving effect value and a three-axis graph of the property classification results. In the three-axis graph, a different color is assigned to each cluster.

Next, various processes executed by the energy saving effect estimation device 100 and the energy saving effect estimation system 1 according to this embodiment will be explained using a flowchart.

First, the heat load feature amount calculation process executed by the heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 13. The energy saving effect estimation device 100 starts the heat load feature amount calculation process in FIG. 13 based on, for example, an operation by an administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device 100.

The thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 refers to the table of FIG. 7 stored in the thermal load feature amount storage unit 104 and determines whether there is an air conditioner for which the thermal load feature amount has not been calculated (step S101). If the thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 determines that there is an air conditioner for which the thermal load feature amount has not been calculated (step S101; YES), the thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 identifies the air conditioner ID of the air conditioner for which the thermal load feature amount has not been calculated, and reads the air conditioning data of the identified air conditioner ID from the air conditioning data storage unit 102 (step S102). On the other hand, if the thermal load feature amount calculation unit 103 determines that there is no air conditioner for which the thermal load feature amount has not been calculated (step S101; NO), the thermal load feature amount calculation process is terminated.

The heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 classifies the air conditioning data that has been read by operating state (step S103). Next, the heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 classifies the air conditioning data classified by operating state by outdoor temperature zone (step S104). Then, for the air conditioning data classified by outdoor temperature zone, the heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 calculates the difference between the intake temperature and the set temperature for each interval at which the collection unit 101 collected the air conditioning data, averages the differences for each outdoor temperature zone, and calculates the outdoor temperature zone heat load feature amount (step S105).

The heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 averages the outdoor temperature zone heat load feature amount for each operating state to obtain the heat load feature amount (step S106). The heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 registers the obtained heat load feature amount in the table of FIG. 7 stored in the heat load feature amount storage unit 104 in association with the record of the air conditioner ID identified in step S102 (step S107).

Next, the energy saving effect calculation process executed by the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 14. The energy saving effect estimation device 100 starts the energy saving effect calculation process in FIG. 14 based on, for example, an operation from an administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device 100.

First, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 refers to the property data table in FIG. 8 to identify the air conditioner ID of the property for which a license for energy saving control has been obtained, and reads the air conditioning data for the identified air conditioner ID from the air conditioning data storage unit 102 (step S201).

The energy saving effect calculation unit 105 calculates the average power consumption of the air conditioner 200 during normal control for each outdoor temperature zone and each operation mode (step S202). The heat load feature amount calculation unit 103 calculates the average power consumption of the air conditioner 200 during energy saving control for each outdoor temperature zone and each operation mode (step S203). Next, the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 calculates the power consumption reduction rate for each outdoor temperature zone and each operation mode (step S204). The energy saving effect calculation unit 105 then registers the calculated power consumption reduction rate in the table of FIG. 9 stored in the energy saving effect storage unit 106 in association with the record of the air conditioner ID identified in step S201 (step S205).

Next, the energy saving effect presentation process executed by the energy saving effect estimation system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 15. For example, when the user of the terminal device 300 starts an app for presenting energy saving effects, the energy saving effect estimation system 1 starts the energy saving effect presentation process in FIG. 15.

The energy saving effect estimation device 100 judges whether or not a request for an energy saving effect estimate value, in which a property for which energy saving control is not performed on the air conditioner 200, is specified, has been received from the terminal device 300 (step S301). When the energy saving effect estimation device 100 judges that a request has been received (step S301; YES), the property classification unit 107 starts the property classification process shown in FIG. 16 (step S302). On the other hand, when the energy saving effect estimation device 100 judges that a request has not been received (step S301; NO), it waits as it is.

The property classification process executed by the property classification unit 107 of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 according to this embodiment will be explained using the flowchart in FIG. 16.

First, the property classification unit 107 plots each property having the thermal load feature values of the three operating states as feature values shown in FIG. 7 on a graph represented by three axes of operating states, and regards each property as one cluster (step S401). Next, the property classification unit 107 determines whether the number of clusters in the three-axis graph exceeds a predetermined threshold (step S402). If the property classification unit 107 determines that the number of clusters exceeds the threshold (step S402; YES), the property classification unit 107 calculates the similarity between the clusters based on the thermal load feature values (step S403). On the other hand, if the property classification unit 107 determines that the number of clusters is equal to or less than the threshold (step S402; NO), the property classification process ends.

The property classification unit 107 combines the cluster pair with the highest similarity into one cluster (step S404). Then, the process returns to step S402. Steps S402, S403, and S404 are repeated until the number of clusters falls below the threshold.

When the processing of step S302 in the energy saving effect presentation processing of FIG. 15 is completed, the energy saving effect estimation unit 108 starts the energy saving effect estimation processing shown in FIG. 17 (step S303).

The energy saving effect estimation process executed by the energy saving effect estimation unit 108 of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 17.

The energy saving effect estimation unit 108 acquires information on the property specified in step S301 (step S501). For example, if the user of the terminal device 300 specifies property X, the energy saving effect estimation unit 108 acquires information identifying property X. The energy saving effect estimation unit 108 then refers to the property classification result to identify the cluster to which the specified property belongs, and calculates a representative value of the energy saving effect value of other properties in which energy saving control is implemented, among other properties included in the identified cluster, as the energy saving effect estimated value (step S502). For example, the energy saving effect estimation unit 108 identifies the cluster to which property X belongs as cluster 1, and refers to the table of FIG. 9 to calculate a representative value of the power consumption reduction rate of other properties included in cluster 1 as the energy saving effect estimated value. When the energy saving effect estimated value is calculated, the energy saving effect estimation unit 108 ends the energy saving effect estimation process.

In the energy saving effect presentation process of FIG. 15, when the process of step S303 is completed, the energy saving effect estimation device 100 transmits the energy saving effect estimation value and the property classification result to the terminal device 300 (step S304).

The terminal device 300 receives the energy saving effect estimation value and the property classification result from the energy saving effect estimation device 100, and displays the energy saving effect estimation value and the property classification result on the screen of the terminal device 300 (step S305). The terminal device 300 displays, for example, the image 310 of FIG. 12 on the screen.

To implement energy-saving control of air conditioners in properties such as office buildings and commercial facilities, customers must either obtain a license from the air conditioner manager or install air conditioners that are capable of energy-saving control. However, if energy-saving control is not actually implemented, it is not possible to accurately grasp the energy-saving effects of energy-saving control. Also, while energy-saving effects are sometimes estimated from catalog specifications, the test conditions often differ from those of the customer's property, and it is often the case that the energy-saving effects cannot be considered to be those of the customer's property.

However, according to this embodiment, the heat load feature of the property in which the air conditioner is installed is calculated based on the air conditioning data collected from the air conditioner installed in the customer's property, and the energy saving effect of the customer's property can be estimated from the energy saving effect value of a property where energy saving control is performed and whose heat load feature is similar to that of the customer's property. This makes it possible to present a convincing value for the energy saving effect of energy saving control. Furthermore, by showing the property classification results in a graph, the relationship between the customer's property and other properties can be shown relatively, and it is possible to visually determine whether the estimated value of the energy saving effect is appropriate.

(Modification)
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications and applications are possible in carrying out the present invention.

In the above embodiment, one air conditioner 200 is provided with one air conditioning control device 230, but this is not limited to the above. The air conditioner 200 may be provided with multiple air conditioning control devices 230. In this case, any one of the multiple air conditioning control devices 230 may be configured to transmit air conditioning data to the energy saving effect estimation device 100 on behalf of the multiple air conditioning control devices 230.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which one property is equipped with one air conditioner 200, but this is not limited to the above. A single property may be configured to include multiple air conditioners 200. In that case, representative values for the heat load characteristic amount and power consumption reduction rate may be calculated for each property.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the air conditioner 200 is shown to have a configuration including a power meter 236, but this is not limited to the above. The air conditioner 200 may not have a power meter 236, and the amount of power consumed by the air conditioner 200 may be measured by a power measuring device installed outside the air conditioner 200 and transmitted to the air conditioner 200.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the air conditioning data storage unit 102, the heat load feature storage unit 104, and the energy saving effect storage unit 106 are included in the energy saving effect estimation device 100, but this is not limited to the above. These storage units may be provided on a cloud server.

In the above embodiment, the heat load feature is obtained for each of the three operating states, "Thermo On", "Thermo Off", and "Preparation", but this is not limited to the above. The operating states can be arbitrarily defined by the administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device 100, and the number of operating states may be any number. The heat load feature may be obtained for each operating state and for each outdoor temperature zone. That is, when the number of operating states is k and the number of outdoor temperature zones is j, the heat load feature of a certain air conditioner 200 may be represented by k x j heat load feature values. When the heat load feature is represented by a high-dimensional vector, for example, four or more, the number of dimensions may be reduced to an arbitrary number based on a dimensionality reduction method such as principal component analysis, and then the classification result of the property may be displayed. This allows the contents of the classification result to be intuitively understood, and makes it possible to clearly show which cluster the property belongs to. The arbitrary number of dimensions may be specified by the administrator of the energy saving effect estimation device 100, or may be specified by the user of the terminal device 300.

In the above embodiment, the heat load feature is calculated using the difference obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the suction temperature, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the outdoor temperature zone heat load feature may be calculated using the time derivative of the difference obtained by subtracting the set temperature from the suction temperature, and the average value of the calculated outdoor temperature zone heat load feature may be used as the heat load feature.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the heat load feature amount calculation process in FIG. 13 and the energy saving effect calculation process in FIG. 14 are executed based on the operation of the administrator, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the heat load feature amount calculation process in FIG. 13 and the energy saving effect calculation process in FIG. 14 may be executed periodically at a predetermined timing.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the order of steps in the energy saving effect calculation process executed by the energy saving effect calculation unit 105 is not limited to the order shown in FIG. 14, and the order of steps S202 and S203 can be interchanged.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the energy saving effect estimation device 100 and the air conditioner 200 are connected via network 400-1, and the energy saving effect estimation device 100 and the terminal device 300 are connected via network 400-2, but this is not limited to the above. The energy saving effect estimation device 100, the air conditioner 200, and the terminal device 300 may be connected to the same network.

In addition, by applying an operating program that specifies the operation of the energy saving effect estimation device 100 according to the above embodiment to an existing personal computer or information terminal device, it is also possible to cause the personal computer or information terminal device to function as the energy saving effect estimation device 100 according to the embodiment.

In addition, such programs may be distributed in any manner, for example, by storing them on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a memory card, or by distributing them via a communications network such as the Internet.

The present invention allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. In other words, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the scope of the meaning of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can provide an energy saving effect estimation device, an energy saving effect estimation system, an energy saving effect estimation method, and a program that can estimate the energy saving effect obtained when energy saving control is performed for an air conditioner installed in a specific property.

1 Energy saving effect estimation system, 11, 231, 31 Processor, 12, 232, 32 Main memory unit, 13, 233, 33 Auxiliary memory unit, 14, 234, 34 Communication unit, 15, 235, 37 RTC, 16, 237, 38 Bus, 35 Input unit, 36 Output unit, 100 Energy saving effect estimation device, 101 Collection unit, 102 Air conditioning data storage unit, 103 Thermal load feature amount calculation unit, 104 Thermal load feature amount storage unit, 105 Energy saving effect calculation unit, 106 Energy saving effect storage unit, 107 Property classification unit, 108 Energy saving effect estimation unit, 200, 200-1, ..., 200-i Air conditioner, 210, 210-1, ..., 210-m1, 210-mi Indoor unit, 220, 220-1, ..., 220-n1, 220-ni Outdoor unit, 211, 221 Heat exchanger, 212, 222 Fan, 213 Air direction control plate, 214, 223 Temperature sensor, 215 Humidity sensor, 230 Air conditioning control device, 236 Power meter, 300 Terminal device, 301 Transmitter, 302 Receiver, 303 Display, 310 Image, 400-1, 400-2 Network.

Claims (16)

a heat load feature amount acquisition means for acquiring heat load feature amounts calculated for a plurality of properties based on air conditioning data collected from air conditioners installed in the plurality of properties;
an energy saving effect estimation means for acquiring a value indicating the energy saving effect of the energy saving control for a property among the plurality of properties for which a license to implement energy saving control for the air conditioner has been acquired and the energy saving control is being implemented, and for which the heat load feature amount of the property implementing the energy saving control is compared with the heat load feature amount of a property for which a license to implement the energy saving control has not been acquired and the energy saving control is not being implemented, thereby calculating an estimate of the energy saving effect of the property not implementing the energy saving control from the value indicating the energy saving effect of the property implementing the energy saving control ;
and a property classification means for classifying the plurality of properties into one or more clusters based on the thermal load feature amount,
The energy saving effect estimation means sets a representative value indicating the energy saving effect of the property that is included in the cluster including the property that is not implementing the energy saving control as an estimated value of the energy saving effect of the property that is not implementing the energy saving control.
Energy saving effect estimation device. a collection means for collecting the air conditioning data from the air conditioners installed in the plurality of properties;
a heat load feature amount calculation means for calculating the heat load feature amount of the properties in which the air conditioners are installed based on the air conditioning data;
The energy saving effect estimation device according to claim 1, further comprising: an energy saving effect calculation means for calculating, for a property among the plurality of properties in which energy saving control is being implemented for the air conditioner, a value indicating the energy saving effect achieved by the energy saving control based on the air conditioning data. The air conditioning data includes a set temperature value of the air conditioner and a suction temperature value of the air conditioner,
the thermal load feature amount calculation means calculates the thermal load feature amount for each operating state of the air conditioner by using the set temperature value and the suction temperature value;
The energy saving effect estimation device according to claim 2 . the thermal load feature amount calculation means calculates the thermal load feature amount for each outside air temperature at the time when the air conditioning data is acquired, using the value of the set temperature and the value of the suction temperature.
The energy saving effect estimation device according to claim 3 . The object classification means includes:
Each property is regarded as one cluster, and if the number of clusters exceeds a threshold, the similarity between the clusters is calculated, and the cluster pair with the largest similarity is combined into one cluster;
the process of calculating the similarity between the clusters and repeating the process of combining the clusters until the number of clusters including the combined cluster becomes equal to or less than a threshold value;
The energy saving effect estimation device according to claim 1 . The similarity between the clusters is determined as the smallest Euclidean distance between the thermal load feature of a property included in one of the clusters and the thermal load feature of a property included in the other of the clusters.
The energy saving effect estimation device according to claim 5 . The similarity between the clusters is defined as the largest Euclidean distance between the thermal load feature of a property included in one of the clusters and the thermal load feature of a property included in the other of the clusters.
The energy saving effect estimation device according to claim 5 . The similarity between the clusters is defined as the Euclidean distance between the centers of gravity of the thermal load features between the clusters.
The energy saving effect estimation device according to claim 5 . The similarity between the clusters is calculated by subtracting the sum of squares of the Euclidean distance between the center of gravity of the thermal load features of one of the clusters and the thermal load features of the properties included in the one cluster from the sum of squares of the Euclidean distance between the center of gravity of the thermal load features of the other of the clusters and the thermal load features of the properties included in the other cluster.
The energy saving effect estimation device according to claim 5 . the energy saving effect estimation means sets the estimated value of the energy saving effect of the property not implementing the energy saving control to any one of an average value, a median value, and a mode value of the values indicating the energy saving effect of the properties implementing the energy saving control and classified into the same cluster as the property not implementing the energy saving control;
The energy saving effect estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . The energy saving effect calculation means sets the value indicating the energy saving effect as a reduction rate of the amount of power consumption when the air conditioner is under energy saving control relative to when the air conditioner is under normal control.
The energy saving effect estimation device according to any one of claims 2 to 4 . An energy saving effect estimation system including air conditioners installed in a plurality of properties, an energy saving effect estimation device that estimates energy saving effects obtained by energy saving control of the air conditioners, and a terminal device that displays the results of the estimated energy saving effects,
The energy saving effect estimation device includes:
A collection means for collecting air conditioning data from the air conditioner;
a heat load feature amount calculation means for calculating a heat load feature amount of the property in which the air conditioner is installed based on the air conditioning data;
an energy saving effect calculation means for calculating, for a property among the plurality of properties in which a license to implement energy saving control for the air conditioner has been acquired and the energy saving control is being implemented, a value indicating an energy saving effect achieved by the energy saving control based on the air conditioning data;
an energy saving effect estimation means for calculating an estimated value of the energy saving effect in a property not implementing the energy saving control from a value indicating the energy saving effect of the property implementing the energy saving control by comparing the heat load feature amount of the property implementing the energy saving control with the heat load feature amount of a property for which a license for implementing the energy saving control has not been acquired and which does not implement the energy saving control ;
and a property classification means for classifying the plurality of properties into one or more clusters based on the thermal load feature amount,
the energy saving effect estimation means sets a representative value of a value indicating the energy saving effect of a property that is included in a cluster including a property that is not implementing the energy saving effect and that is implementing the energy saving control as an estimated value of the energy saving effect of the property that is not implementing the energy saving control;
The terminal device
a transmission means for transmitting a request to the energy saving effect estimation device to request transmission of an estimated value of the energy saving effect of the property for which the energy saving control is not being implemented;
a receiving means for receiving an estimated value of the energy saving effect of a property that is not implementing the energy saving control related to the request from the energy saving effect estimation device;
a display means for displaying the received estimated value of the energy saving effect,
When the energy saving effect estimation device receives the request from the terminal device, the energy saving effect estimation means calculates an estimated value of the energy saving effect of the property related to the request, and transmits the calculated estimated value of the energy saving effect to the terminal device.
Energy saving effect estimation system. The thermal load feature amount is a multidimensional vector represented by a thermal load feature amount for each operating state of the air conditioner and for each outdoor temperature zone ,
The receiving means receives information on the classification result by the property classification means,
The display means plots the heat load feature amount in a multidimensional space and assigns a different color to each cluster based on the classification result.
The energy saving effect estimation system according to claim 12 . The display means reduces the number of dimensions of the heat load feature amount to a number of dimensions specified by a user of the terminal device by principal component analysis, and plots the reduced number of dimensions in a multidimensional space.
The energy saving effect estimation system according to claim 13 . An energy saving effect estimation method executed by an energy saving effect estimation device,
In the energy saving effect estimation device,
The thermal load feature amount acquisition means acquires thermal load feature amounts calculated for the plurality of properties based on air conditioning data collected from air conditioners installed in the plurality of properties;
the energy saving effect estimation means acquires a value indicating the energy saving effect achieved by the energy saving control for a property among the plurality of properties for which a license to implement energy saving control for the air conditioner has been obtained and the energy saving control is being implemented, and compares the heat load feature amount of a property for which a license to implement the energy saving control has not been obtained and the energy saving control is being implemented with the heat load feature amount of a property not implementing the energy saving control, thereby calculating an estimated value of the energy saving effect in the property not implementing the energy saving control from the value indicating the energy saving effect of the property implementing the energy saving control ;
The property classification means classifies the plurality of properties into one or more clusters based on the thermal load feature amount,
The energy saving effect estimation means sets a representative value indicating the energy saving effect of the property that is included in the cluster including the property that is not implementing the energy saving control as an estimated value of the energy saving effect of the property that is not implementing the energy saving control.
Method for estimating energy saving effects. Computer,
a thermal load feature amount acquisition means for acquiring thermal load feature amounts calculated for a plurality of properties based on air conditioning data collected from air conditioners installed in the plurality of properties;
an energy saving effect estimation means for acquiring a value indicating an energy saving effect due to the energy saving control for a property among the plurality of properties in which energy saving control is being implemented for the air conditioner, and calculating an estimated value of the energy saving effect in the property not implementing the energy saving control from the value indicating the energy saving effect of the property in which energy saving control is being implemented by comparing the heat load feature amount of the property in which the energy saving control is being implemented with the heat load feature amount of a property in which the energy saving control is not being implemented ;
a property classification means for classifying the plurality of properties into one or more clusters based on the thermal load feature amount;
The energy saving effect estimation means sets a representative value indicating the energy saving effect of the property that is included in the cluster including the property that is not implementing the energy saving control as an estimated value of the energy saving effect of the property that is not implementing the energy saving control.
program.

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