KR20230153398A - Reduce water/energy waste in water supply systems - Google Patents

Abstract

A heater arrangement system for a water supply system that controls the supply of water supplied to an outlet, wherein the outlet is arranged to supply hot water to a user, the heater arrangement system comprising: a water heating device disposed remotely from the outlet; and a control unit communicatively coupled to the water heating device, the control unit comprising: a) setting a timer to begin counting from an initial time value upon detecting that the outlet is open, and b) A heater array system configured to perform an operation that causes an alarm when the elapsed time of the timer passes a first threshold time value.

Description

Reduce water/energy waste in water supply systems

The present disclosure generally relates to water/energy flow utility management in a water supply system, such as a heater array system for a water supply system to supply hot water to a plurality of outlets (taps) in a building. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to reducing waste of water and/or energy flow to an outlet in a water supply system to save water and/or energy.

Whether in a commercial or domestic environment, hot water is needed all day long, all year round. It goes without saying that both clean water and a heat source are needed to provide hot water. In order to provide hot water, for example to heat the water to a predetermined temperature set by the user, a heating system is often provided in a centralized water supply system, the heat sources used are typically one or more electrical heating elements or natural The gas was burned.

Currently, clean water as a public utility is receiving a lot of attention. As clean water becomes scarce, we educate the public about the conservation of clean water, as well as water safety measures, such as aerated showers and taps to reduce water flow, and showers and taps equipped with motion sensors to stop water flow when no movement is detected. Much effort has been made to develop systems and devices to reduce consumption. However, these systems and devices are limited to a single, specific use and have had only a limited impact on problematic water consumption habits.

As concerns grow about the impact of energy consumption on the environment, interest in using heat pump technology to provide domestic hot water has recently increased. A heat pump is a device that transfers heat energy from a heat source to a heat storage. Although heat pumps require electricity to achieve the operation of transferring thermal energy from a heat source to a heat reservoir, heat pumps are generally used as electrical resistance heaters (electric heating elements), as heat pumps typically have a coefficient of performance of at least 3 or 4. It's more efficient. What this means is that for the same amount of electricity usage, a heat pump can provide up to three or four times the amount of heat to the user compared to an electric resistance heater.

A heat transfer medium that transports heat energy is known as a refrigerant. Thermal energy from air (e.g., outside air or air in a hot room in the house) or a ground source (e.g., a geothermal loop or water-filled borehole) is extracted by a contained heat exchanger and stored in a self-contained refrigerant. It is delivered as (contained refrigerant). The refrigerant, which currently has a relatively high energy, is compressed, causing the temperature of the refrigerant to rise significantly, and this currently hot refrigerant exchanges heat energy into the heating water loop through a heat exchanger. In the context of hot water supply, the heat extracted by the heat pump can be transferred to water in an insulated tank that acts as a thermal energy store, and the hot water can be used later when needed. Hot water can be diverted to one or more outlets as needed, such as a tap, shower, or radiator. However, heat pumps generally require more time than electric resistance heaters to raise the water to the desired temperature.

Different homes, workplaces and commercial spaces have different requirements and preferences for hot water use, so new hot water supply methods are desirable to make heat pumps a viable alternative to electric heaters. Moreover, in order to save energy and water, it is desirable to detect when water and energy flows are being wasted and take appropriate measures to attempt to avoid such waste.

The invention provides a heater arrangement system for a water supply system for controlling the water supply provided to the outlet, as defined in claim 1.

The invention also provides a method for controlling the water supply provided to the outlet, as described in claim 8.

The invention further provides corresponding program products and control modules, as recited in claims 12 and 13.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic system overview of a representative water supply system.
2 is a flow diagram showing the steps involved in temporarily reducing energy and/or water flow in an exemplary water supply system.

In light of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides various techniques for controlling the use of utilities, including water and energy, in a home environment. According to one embodiment, the temperature and/or flow rate of the hot water leaving the outlet is such that water use (due to the low flow rate of the water) and/or energy use (due to the low temperature of the water) are reduced when not needed. It is reduced if it is determined that there are no objects below. According to one complementary embodiment, an alarm, such as a sound or a flash of light, is triggered if it is determined that hot water is being supplied continuously at the outlet for a first period, and the outlet continues to be supplied for a second period longer than the first period. If it is determined that hot water is being supplied, the hot water supply is stopped, thereby allowing water and/or energy use to be reduced if deemed unnecessary and further preventing water overflow. According to a further complementary embodiment, a report may be generated based on the collected hot water usage data, for example to prompt the user to modify his/her usage habits.

In the following embodiments, hot water is supplied by a centralized water heating system to a plurality of outlets including taps, showers, radiators, etc. within a building such as a private home or commercial space. The water heating system may include one or more electrical heating elements for directly heating cold water to a temperature controlled by the amount of energy supplied to the one or more electrical heating elements. The water heating system may further comprise a less direct and slower operating but cost-saving and environmentally friendly heat source for water heating, for example in the form of a heat pump and/or a thermal energy storage for extracting heat energy from the surroundings, The thermal energy reservoir comprises a phase change material for storing thermal energy to be later extracted, for example to heat cold water to a temperature determined by the amount of thermal energy stored within the thermal energy reservoir. The water heating system has a control communicatively coupled to the water heating system, configured to regulate power supplied to one or more electrical heating elements, for example to activate or otherwise control and regulate power supplied to the heat pump. Controlled by module.

water supply system

In embodiments of the present techniques, cold and hot water is provided by a centralized water supply system to a plurality of outlets including building taps, showers, radiators, etc. within a domestic or commercial environment. One representative water supply system according to one embodiment is shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the water supply system 100 includes a control module 110, and the control module 110 may include a machine learning algorithm (machine learning algorithm) 120. The control module 110 includes a flow control unit 130, for example in the form of one or more valves arranged to control the flow of water into and out of the system, extracting ambient heat and using the extracted heat to heat the water. a heat pump 140 (ground source or air source) configured to accumulate thermal energy in a reservoir 150, and one or more electric heating elements 160 - one or more electric heating elements ( 160) are configured to directly heat cold water to a desired temperature by controlling the amount of energy supplied to one or more electric heating elements 160; communicatively connected to various elements of the water supply system and configured to control the various elements of the water supply system. Hot water, whether heated by the thermal energy reservoir 150 or the electric heating elements 160, is then directed to one or more outlets as and when required. In the above embodiments, the heat pump 140 extracts heat from the surroundings and transfers the extracted heat into the heat energy storage medium in the heat energy storage 150. The thermal energy storage medium can be further heated by other heat sources. The thermal energy storage medium is heated until the desired operating temperature is reached, after which cold water, for example cold water from the mains, can be heated by the thermal energy storage medium to the desired temperature. Afterwards, hot water can be supplied to various outlets within the system.

In this embodiment, the control module 110 is configured to receive input from a plurality of sensors 170-1, 170-2, 170-3, ..., 170-n. The plurality of sensors (170-1, 170-2, 170-3, ..., 170-n) include, for example, one or more air temperature sensors, one or more water temperature sensors, placed indoors and/or outdoors, It may include one or more water pressure sensors, one or more timers, one or more motion sensors, a GPS signal receiver, a calendar, such as a weather forecast app on a smartphone carried by the occupant and communicating with the control module over a communication channel. , may include other sensors that are not directly connected to the water supply system 100. In this embodiment, the control module 110 uses the received input to control the flow of water to the thermal energy storage 150 or the electric heating elements 160, for example via the flow controller 130, to produce water. It is configured to perform several heating control functions.

Although heat pumps are generally more energy efficient at heating water compared to electrical resistance heaters, heat pumps require a sufficient amount of heat energy to reach the desired operating temperature before enough heat energy can be used to heat the water. It takes time to transfer to the storage medium, so a heat pump takes longer to heat the same amount of water to the same temperature compared to an electric resistance heater. Additionally, in some embodiments, the heat pump 140 may use a phase change material (PCM), which changes from a solid to a liquid when heated, as a heat energy storage medium. Therefore, if the PCM solidifies before further increasing the temperature of the liquefied thermal energy storage medium, additional time may be required to change the PCM from solid to liquid. Although this method of water heating is slow, less energy is expended to heat the water compared to electric heating elements, resulting in overall energy savings and reduced costs of providing hot water.

phase change material

In these embodiments, a phase change material may be used as a heat storage medium for a heat pump. One suitable class of phase change materials is paraffin wax, which has a solid-liquid phase change at the temperature of interest for use in domestic hot water supplies and in combination with heat pumps. Of particular interest are paraffin waxes, which melt at temperatures in the range of 40 to 60 degrees Celsius (°C), within which waxes can be obtained that melt at various temperatures to suit specific applications. The general latent heat capacity is about 180kJ/kg to 230kJ/kg, and the specific heat capacity is about 2.27Jg ^-1 K ^-1 in the liquid phase and 2.1Jg ^-1 K ^-1 in the solid phase. What can be seen here is that a very large amount of energy can be stored using the latent heat of fusion. Relatively more energy may be stored by heating the phase change liquid above its melting point. For example, during off-peak periods when electricity costs are relatively low, the heat pump may operate to "overheat" the thermal energy storage by "charging" the thermal energy storage to a higher than normal temperature.

Properly selected waxes may be waxes with a melting point of approximately 48°C, such as n-tricosan C ₂₃ or paraffin C ₂₀ -C ₃₃ , which requires the heat pump to operate at a temperature of approximately 51°C and is suitable for use in kitchen taps, shower/bathroom applications. For ordinary domestic hot water sufficient for tap, it is possible to heat the water to a satisfactory temperature of about 45°C. If desired, cold water can be added to the stream to lower the water temperature. The temperature performance of the heat pump is taken into consideration. In general, the maximum difference between the inlet and outlet temperatures of the fluid heated by the heat pump is preferably maintained in the range of 5°C to 7°C, although it may be as high as 10°C.

Although paraffin wax is a preferred material for use as a thermal energy storage medium, other suitable materials may also be used. For example, salt hydrates are also suitable for latent energy storage systems such as current ones. In this context, a salt hydrate is a mixture of an inorganic salt and water, and in a phase change, all or most of the water in the salt hydrate is lost. During the phase transition, the hydrate crystals split into an anhydrous (or relatively water-less) salt and water. The advantage of saline hydrate is that it has a much higher thermal conductivity than paraffin wax (2 to 5 times higher) and a much smaller volume change due to phase transition. A salt hydrate suitable for current applications is Na ₂ S ₂ O ₃ ·5H ₂ O, which has a melting point of about 48°C to 49°C and a latent heat of 200 to 220 kJ/kg.

Overview of MLAs

Several different types of machine learning algorithms (MLAs) are known in the art. Broadly speaking, there are three types of MLA: supervised learning-based MLA, unsupervised learning-based MLA, and reinforcement learning-based MLA.

The supervised learning MLA process is based on a target-outcome variable (or dependent variable) predicted from a given set of predictors (or independent variables). Using this set of variables, the MLA (being trained) creates a function that maps the input to the desired output. The training process continues until the MLA achieves the desired level of accuracy on the validation data. Examples of supervised learning-based MLA include regression, decision trees, random forests, and logistic regression.

Unsupervised learning MLA does not involve predicting the target or performance variable itself. These MLAs are used to cluster a population of values into various groups, which is widely used to segment customers into various groups for specific interventions. Examples of unsupervised learning MLA include the Apriori algorithm and K-means.

Reinforcement learning MLAs are trained to make specific decisions. During training, MLAs are exposed to a training environment where they continuously train themselves through trial and error. MLA learns from past experiences and attempts to capture the best possible knowledge to make accurate decisions. One example of a reinforcement learning MLA is a Markov decision process.

What you need to understand here is that different types of MLAs with different structures or topologies can be used for different tasks. One specific type of MLA includes artificial neural networks (ANNs), also known as neural networks (NNs).

Neural Network (NN)

Generally speaking, a given NN consists of an interconnected group of artificial “neurons” that process information using a connectionist approach to computation. NNs are used to model complex relationships between inputs and outputs (without actually knowing those relationships) or to find patterns in data. The NN is first conditioned in a training phase where the NN is provided with a known set of "inputs" and information to adapt the NN to produce an appropriate output (for the given situation being attempted to be modeled). During this training phase, the given NN adapts to the context in which it is being learned and changes the structure of the given NN such that it can provide reasonable predictive output for a given input in a new context (based on the context in which it was learned). Therefore, a given NN aims to provide an “intuitive” answer based on its “feel” about the situation rather than attempting to determine a complex statistical arrangement or mathematical algorithm for a given situation. Therefore, a given NN is viewed as a trained “black box” that can be used to determine reasonable answers for a given set of inputs in situations where what happens within the “box” is not important.

NNs are typically used in many situations where it is important to determine an output based on a given input, but how that output is derived is relatively unimportant or unimportant. For example, NNs are commonly used to optimize the distribution of web-traffic between servers and within data processing, including filtering, clustering, signal separation, compression, vector generation, etc.

deep neural network

In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, a NN may be implemented as a deep neural network. What should be understood here is that NNs can be classified into several classes of NNs, and one class of NNs among these classes includes recurrent neural networks (RNNs).

Recurrent Neural Network (RNN)

RNNs are made to process input sequences using the RNN's "internal state" (stored memory). This makes RNNs well suited for tasks such as unsegmented handwriting recognition and speech recognition, for example. This internal state of the RNN can be controlled and is referred to as a “gated” state or “gated” memory.

Also, something to keep in mind here is that RNNs themselves can also be classified into various sub-classes of RNNs. For example, RNNs include Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, Gated Recurrent Units (GRUs), and Bidirectional RNNs (BRNNs).

LSTM networks are, in a sense, deep learning systems that can learn tasks that require "memories" of events that previously took place over very short, discrete time steps. The topology of an LSTM network can vary based on the specific tasks the LSTM network "learns" to perform. For example, an LSTM network can learn to perform tasks where there are relatively long delays between events or where events occur together at low and high frequencies. RNNs with specific gated mechanisms are referred to as GRUs. Unlike LSTM networks, GRUs have no "output gates" and therefore have fewer parameters than LSTM networks. A BRNN may have a "hidden layer" of neurons connected in each direction, which can be tolerated using information from past and future states.

Residual Neural Network (ResNet)

Another example of a NN that can be used to implement non-limiting embodiments of the present technology is a residual neural network (ResNet).

Deep networks, of course, integrate low/middle/high level features and classifiers in an end-to-end multi-layer manner, and those “level” features can be enriched by the number (depth) of stacked layers.

In summary, the implementation of at least some of one or more MLAs in the context of this technology can be broadly divided into two phases: a training phase and a use phase. First, a given MLA is trained in the training step using one or more appropriate training data sets. Afterwards, once a given MLA has learned what data to expect as input and what data to provide as output, the given MLA is executed using the data in use in the above usage phase.

Figure 2 shows one embodiment of a method for controlling utility usage, for example in a home environment. The method begins at reference numeral S2001 when an outlet (e.g. a bathroom vanity tap) is activated or turned on by a user to receive hot water supplied by a water heating system located remotely from the outlet, the water heating system being connected to the outlet. A sensor (e.g., one of the sensors shown in Figure 1) disposed at or near the outlet to detect the presence of an object underneath (e.g., the hands of a person washing their hands). 170-n). At S2002, the control module 110 receives a signal from the sensor and determines whether an object is present below the outlet at S2003. If the control module determines that an object is present, the method loops back to S2002 and the control module continues to monitor the signal from the sensor. If the control module determines that no object is present below the outlet, the method returns to S2002 and the control module continues to monitor the signal from the sensor. Once determined, at S2004, the control module controls the water heating system to lower the temperature of the hot water supplied to the outlet and/or reduce the flow rate of hot water supplied to the outlet. Thereafter, the method is performed at S2002. and the control module continues to monitor the signal from the sensor. This allows hot water to continue to be supplied to the outlet but reduces energy and/or water use, for example when the user turns on the hot water from under the tap. When washing hands, if the user removes his or her hand from under the tap to reach for the soap, for example, the control module can save energy and water by reducing the temperature and flow of hot water, after which once the user By returning your hand to the tap, the temperature and hot water flow can be returned to the initial level.

There may be instances where a user may forget to turn off a tab. Accordingly, in an alternative embodiment or in addition to the previous embodiment, when the outlet is activated to supply hot water, a timer in communication with the control module is activated to record the elapsed time. At reference numeral S2005, the control module receives a signal from the timer and determines the elapsed time (T) required to continue supplying hot water from the outlet. If the control module determines at S2006 that the elapsed time (T) does not exceed a predetermined first threshold (T1), the method returns to S2005 and the control module determines that the signal from the timer Continue to monitor. If the control module determines at S2006 that the elapsed time (T) exceeds the first threshold (T1), the control module causes an alarm sequence at S2007, wherein the alarm sequence is such that the hot water is no longer This may include generating a sound or activating an optical signal at or near the outlet to inform the user that the outlet will remain turned on for a period of time (T1) to prompt the user to turn the outlet off if not required. there is. At reference numeral S2008, the control module determines whether the elapsed time (T) exceeds a predetermined second threshold (T2) that is greater than the first threshold (T1). If it is determined that the elapsed time (T) does not exceed the second threshold (T2), the method returns to S2005 and the control module continues to monitor the signal from the timer. If the control module determines at S2008 that the elapsed time T exceeds the second threshold T2, then the control module controls the water heating system to completely close the outlet, and then This stops the supply of hot water to the outlet at reference number S2009. This way, energy and water are not wasted when hot water is no longer needed. For example, if a user forgets to turn off the tap after washing their hands or a child leaves the tap on to play, the supply of hot water will automatically stop, saving energy and water. The two thresholds (T1, T2), in addition to being predetermined values, are used to determine the level of water flow within a particular building so that an alarm is not triggered and the water is not turned off in situations where water use is typical for a particular domestic or commercial building. This can be determined by obtaining predictions according to an artificial intelligence algorithm (such as deep learning or other MLA) trained based on past usage.

In one embodiment, hot water usage data collected over time (S2010) generates a usage report (S2011) as a tool to prompt users to review and potentially modify their usage habits to reduce energy and water use. can be used to

The control module 110 is programmed in software to perform the functions described above and shown in the steps of FIG. 2. Alternatively, the control module is hardwired with hardware logic to perform the functions described above.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the techniques may be implemented as a system, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, the techniques may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware.

Moreover, the techniques may take the form of a computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium embodying computer-readable program code. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, semiconductor system, device or instrument, or any suitable combination thereof.

Computer program code for performing the operations of the present techniques may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages and traditional procedural programming languages.

For example, the program code to perform the operation of the techniques may be source, object, or executable code in a conventional programming language (interpreted or compiled) such as C, or assembly code, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or It may include code to configure or control a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or code for a hardware description language such as VerilogTM or Very high-speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL).

Code components can be embodied as procedures, methods, etc. and can take the form of instructions or sequences of instructions at any level of abstraction, ranging from direct machine instructions in a native instruction set to high-level compiled or interpreted language constructs. It may include sub-components.

Additionally, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, all or part of the logical method according to preferred embodiments of the present techniques may be suitably embodied in a logical device comprising logical elements to perform the method steps, such logical elements being, for example, For example, it may include components such as programmable logic arrays or logic gates in an application-specific integrated circuit. Such logical arrays enable elements to temporarily or permanently establish logical structures within such arrays or circuits using, for example, a virtual hardware descriptor language that can be stored and transmitted using a fixed or transportable carrier medium. It can be further specified to (enable).

The examples and conditional language cited herein are intended to assist the reader in understanding the principles of the subject matter and are not intended to limit its scope to these specifically cited examples and conditions. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, nevertheless embody the principles of the present technology and are included within the scope of the present technology as defined in the appended claims.

Additionally, to aid understanding, the above description may describe relatively simplified implementations of the present technology. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, various implementations of the present technology may be more complex.

In some cases, what we believe to be helpful examples of modifications to the present technology may be presented. This is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit or delimit the scope of the technology. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and those skilled in the art will be able to make other modifications while still remaining within the scope of the present technology. Additionally, if no examples of modification are presented, it should not be construed that modification is not possible and/or that what is described is the only way to implement that element of the technology.

Moreover, all descriptions reciting principles, embodiments, and implementations of the present technology, as well as specific examples of the present technology, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents, whether currently known or developed in the future. Accordingly, for example, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, any block diagrams herein represent conceptual diagrams of illustrative circuits embodying the principles of the present technology. Likewise, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, any flowchart, flow diagram, state transition diagram, pseudo-code, etc. may be substantially represented in a computer-readable medium and thus may be used by a computer or processor, whether or not the computer or processor is explicitly shown. Represents multiple processes that can be executed by .

The functions of various elements shown in the drawings can be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in conjunction with appropriate software. When provided by a processor or control module, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or multiple separate processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the terms "processor" or "controller" should not be construed as referring solely to hardware capable of executing software, including digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. It may implicitly include, but is not limited to, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), read-only memory (ROM) for software storage, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware, both existing and/or custom, may also be included.

Software modules, or simply referred to as software, may be represented herein as any combination of flowchart elements or other elements representing the performance and/or textual description of process steps. These modules may be explicitly or implicitly executed by the hardware shown.

As will become apparent to those skilled in the art, many improvements and modifications may be made to the representative embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present techniques.

Claims (13)

A heater arrangement system for a water supply system that controls the supply of water supplied to an outlet, wherein the outlet is arranged to supply hot water to a user, the heater arrangement system comprising:
a water heating device located remotely from the outlet; and
a control unit communicatively connected to the water heating device;
Includes,
The control unit may: a) set a timer to start counting from an initial time value when detecting that the outlet is open; and b) issue an alarm if the elapsed time of the timer has passed a first threshold time value. c) stopping the flow of water supplied to the outlet when the elapsed time of the timer has elapsed a second threshold time value that is higher than the first threshold time value; and wherein the first and second threshold time values are set by an artificial intelligence algorithm executed by the control unit, wherein the artificial intelligence algorithm determines the first and second threshold time values based on past use of the water supply system. A heater array system that predicts the value of a second threshold time value. According to paragraph 1,
A heater array system, wherein the water heating device includes a heat pump and a thermal energy storage device. According to paragraph 2,
A heater array system, wherein the thermal energy storage device is a phase change material device. According to paragraph 3,
Phase change material is paraffin wax, heater array system. According to paragraph 4,
The paraffin wax melts at a temperature of 40°C to 60°C. According to any one of paragraphs 3, 4 or 5,
The latent heat capacity of the phase change material is about 180kJ/kg to 230kJ/kg, and the specific heat capacity of the phase change material is about 2.27Jg ^-1 K ^-1 in the liquid phase and 2.1Jg ^-1 K ^-1 in the solid phase. A heater array system. According to any one of claims 1 to 6,
wherein the control unit is further configured to perform the operation of c) collecting water usage data and generating a usage report accordingly. A method for controlling the supply of water to an outlet in a water supply system, wherein the outlet is arranged to provide hot water to a user from a water heating device, the method comprising:
a) setting a timer to start counting from an initial time value upon detecting that the outlet is open; and
b) triggering an alarm when the elapsed time of the timer passes a first threshold time value that is higher than the first threshold time value;
Includes,
The first and second threshold time values are set by an artificial intelligence algorithm executed by the control unit,
A method for controlling water supply to an outlet, wherein the artificial intelligence algorithm predicts the values of the first and second threshold time values based on past use of the water supply system. According to clause 8,
A method of controlling water supply to an outlet, wherein the water heating device includes a heat pump and a thermal energy storage device. According to clause 9,
A method of controlling water supply to an outlet, wherein the thermal energy storage device is a phase change material device. According to clause 10,
A method of controlling the water supply to the outlet, wherein the phase change material is paraffin wax. 12. A computer-readable medium comprising machine-readable code, wherein the machine-readable code, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 8 to 11, the computer-readable medium comprising: Readable media. A control module configured to control the operation of a water supply system via a communication channel, the water supply system comprising a heating system configured to heat water from a mains and controlled by the control module, the water supply system comprising: configured to supply water heated by the heating system to a user at one or more outlets, wherein the control module comprises a processor causing software to execute the method of any one of claims 8 to 11 or A control module having preconfigured hardware logic components configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.