Energy-related information presentation system

Abstract

A system and approach for diagnostic visualizations of, for example, building control systems data. A focus may be on a similarity metric for comparing operations among sites relative to energy consumption. Normalizing factors may be used across sites with varying equipment consumption levels to be compared automatically. There may also be a high level overview of an enterprise of sites. For instance, consumption totals of the sites may be normalized by site size and length of time of a billing period to identify such things as outlier sites. One may use a main view of geographic distribution dynamically linked to subviews showing distribution by size, by aggregated climate, and so on. With these views, one may quickly drill through the enterprise and identify sites of interest for further investigation. A key metric may be intensity which invokes viewing virtually all sites by normalized consumption for a unit amount of time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mechanism for displaying energy information, comprising:
 a processor;   a display connected to the processor; and   one or more detectors, connected to the processor, configured to provide energy data; and   wherein:   the display provides a visualization to support identification of energy data of a site;   a site comprises heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and/or lighting equipment;   a first element of the visualization is a link to a calendar view for comparison of energy data of sites across days of a week, weeks of a month and/or weeks of a year; and   a second element of the visualization is a link to a detailed daily profile view for analysis of energy data of operation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and/or lighting equipment at a site level.   
     
     
         2 . The mechanism of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the calendar view comprises energy data of lighting equipment and/or energy data of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment; and   the detailed daily profile view comprises a simultaneous overview of energy data of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and/or energy data of lighting equipment.   
     
     
         3 . The mechanism of  claim 2 , wherein the calendar view further comprises:
 weather data; and   a scrolling and/or selection capability to provide navigation through time and across sites.   
     
     
         4 . The mechanism of  claim 2 , wherein the detailed daily profile view further comprises:
 highlights of energy data of individual operating stages of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and/or lighting equipment over a daily period; and   a capability for a user to scroll through time for a specific site having energy data of the stages of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and/or lighting equipment at a level of sites.   
     
     
         5 . The mechanism of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the visualization comprises one or more views;   energy data provide a basis for a drill down in a view to details of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and/or lighting equipment; and   a mouse-over on the display can be used in virtually all views to provide details of energy data of each site, incorporating one or more locations of energy consumption, rate of energy consumption, and loss of energy.   
     
     
         6 . An energy-related information presentation system comprising:
 a processor; and   one or more detectors for obtaining data on instances of heating, ventilation and air conditioning and/or lighting equipment at one or more sites of an enterprise; and   wherein:   the one or more detectors are connected to the processor;   the processor receives the data from the one or more detectors on instances of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning and/or lighting equipment at the one or more sites; and   the processor provides a dual layer approach to a normalization of the equipment across the one or more sites based on data on instances of the equipment.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a display, connected to the processor, for presenting a dashboard; and   wherein the dashboard, based on the data, provides an intensity map having views of one or more energy consuming sites on a geographic map with an energy consumption metric coded with symbols via shape, size, shade, color, symbol, and/or other graphical distinction to identify energy consumption amounts in an absolute, relative and/or normalized manner.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the dual layer approach to normalization comprises first and second stages;   the first stage incorporates normalizing at the equipment/unit level; and   the second stage incorporates normalizing by total site capacity.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the dual layer approach to normalization comprises first and second factors; and   the first and second factors are used to build a normalization for the instances of the equipment of the one or more sites of the enterprise.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the first factor is used in the processor to normalize against an expected operation of the instances of the equipment. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the first factor is used in the processor to aggregate run time of the equipment at a specified condition during a specified period. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the second factor is used in the processor to aggregate the first factors for virtually all instances of the equipment on a site and provide the normalization based on a total capacity of the equipment at the site. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , the second factor is used in the processor to compare sites against one another, with a normalization of an aggregation of first factors by a count of the instances of the equipment for each site. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the normalization is based at least partially on the data on instances of the equipment; and   the first and second factors are operational measures driven by data of instances of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and/or lighting equipment.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second factors are used by the processor to evaluate abnormalities in operational procedures across the enterprise of the instances of equipment at the one or more sites of the enterprise. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the processor outputs automated anomaly detection based on the normalization. 
     
     
         17 . A method for presenting information related to energy of an enterprise, comprising:
 providing a processor; and   obtaining data with one or more detectors on instances of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment and/or lighting equipment at one or more sites of an enterprise; and   wherein:   the one or more detectors are connected to the processor;   the processor receives the data from the one or more detectors on instances of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment and/or lighting equipment at the one or more sites;   the processor outputs a normalization of the equipment across the one or more sites based on data on instances of the equipment; and   the processor provides a dual layer approach to the normalization of the equipment across the one or more sites, using data of instances of the equipment to build the normalization.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the normalization comprises first and second factors used to build the normalization for instances of the equipment of the one or more sites. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the first factor is used in the processor to normalize against an expected operation of the instances of equipment; and   the first factor aggregates run time of the equipment at a specified condition during a specified period.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the second factor aggregates the first factors for virtually all instances of equipment on a site and provides the normalization based on a total capacity of the equipment at the site.