Heating system

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention, is a heating system, including a heat source for heating a medium, a circulation system for circulating heated medium; a control system for controlling the temperature to which the medium is heated in accordance with a temperature set point. An energy monitor generates a measure of energy consumed by the system, which is arranged for a predetermined period to set a fixed temperature set point. For a subsequent period the temperature set point is set dependent on the energy used in the predetermined period.

1 . A heating system, including a heat source for heating a medium, a circulation system for circulating heated medium, a control system for controlling the temperature to which the medium is heated in accordance with a temperature set point; and an energy monitor for generating a measure of energy consumed by the system, wherein the control system is arranged for a predetermined period to set a fixed temperature set point, and to set the temperature set point for a subsequent period dependent on the energy used in the predetermined period.  
   
   
       2 . A heating system as claimed in  claim 1 , including a burner for providing heat to the heat source to heat the medium, and wherein the energy monitor is arranged to measure the accumulated on time of the burner in the predetermined period.  
   
   
       3 . A heating system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the burner is operable at different fuel consumption levels, and wherein the energy monitor is arranged to measure the accumulated on time of the burner at each consumption level.  
   
   
       4 . A heating system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the heat source comprises a boiler, the medium being water.  
   
   
       5 . A heating system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the temperature set point for water supplied by the boiler for the subsequent period is proportional to the measure of energy consumed in the predetermined period.  
   
   
       6 . A heating system, including a heat source for heating a medium, a circulation system for circulating heated medium; a control system for controlling the temperature to which the medium is heated in accordance with a set point and arranged to derive the set point dependent on two independent functions one of which reduces in accordance with a predetermined régime, during the passage of daylight hours.  
   
   
       7 . A heating system, including a heat source for heating a medium, a circulation system for circulating heated medium; a control system for controlling the temperature to which the medium is heated in accordance with a temperature set point; and an energy monitor to generate a measure of the energy consumed by the system in successive periods during daylight hours; the control system being arranged to determine on an initial day whether or not the energy consumed in successive periods reduces significantly, and if it does not, on subsequent days to derive the set point dependent on two independent functions one of which reduces in accordance with a predetermined régime during the passage of daylight hours.  
   
   
       8 . A heating system as claimed in  claim 6 , including a burner for providing heat to the heat source to heat the medium, and wherein the energy monitor is arranged to measure the accumulated on time of the burner in the each successive time period.  
   
   
       9 . A heating system as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the burner is operable at different fuel consumption levels, and wherein the energy monitor is arranged to measure the accumulated on time of the burner at each consumption level.  
   
   
       10 . A heating system as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the heat source comprises a boiler, the medium being water.  
   
   
       11 . A heating system as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the other function is of measured or inferred parameters.