Background schedule simulations in an intelligent, network-connected thermostat

Abstract

Various arrangements for promoting energy efficiency in association with an HVAC system of an enclosure are presented. A first HVAC schedule may be accessed that includes setpoints. The HVAC system may be operated according to the first HVAC schedule. The first HVAC schedule may be processed to generate a second HVAC schedule representative of what would have been generated by an automated schedule learning algorithm operating over the period of time. The second HVAC schedule can be simulated using a thermal model of the enclosure to determine a hypothetical cost of operating the HVAC system according to the second HVAC schedule over the period of time. Information representative of an energy cost difference between an actual cost of operating the HVAC system according to the first HVAC schedule and the hypothetical cost of operating the HVAC system according to the second HVAC schedule can be generated.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for promoting energy efficiency in association with an HVAC system of an enclosure, the method comprising:
 operating, the HVAC system of the enclosure according to a first HVAC schedule over a time period;   generating a second HVAC schedule representative of what would have been generated by an automated schedule learning algorithm operating over the time period;   simulating the second HVAC schedule using a thermal model of the enclosure for the time period;   generating information representative of an energy cost difference between an actual cost of operating the HVAC system according to the first HVAC schedule over the time period and a hypothetical cost of operating the HVAC system according to the second HVAC schedule over the time period based on simulating the second HVAC schedule using the thermal model of the enclosure for the time period; and   outputting the information representative of the energy cost difference via a user interface.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the second HVAC schedule is generated in the background based on the first HVAC schedule and the automated schedule learning algorithm,   the second HVAC schedule and the first HVAC schedule exist simultaneously, and   the second HVAC schedule is maintained distinct from the first HVAC schedule.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information representative of the energy cost difference is based on a runtime of the HVAC system during the time period according to the first HVAC schedule and the second HVAC schedule. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the information representative of the energy cost difference is further based on times at which the HVAC system was operating during the time period according to the first HVAC schedule and the second HVAC schedule. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information representative of the energy cost difference is representative of a difference in energy consumption between the first HVAC schedule and the second HVAC schedule. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface is displayed remote from a network-connected thermostat. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generation and simulation of the second HVAC schedule are performed by a network-connected thermostat. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generation and simulation of the second HVAC schedule are performed by a cloud-based remote server system that communicates via a network with a network-connected thermostat. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating a first runtime profile indicating time intervals for which the HVAC system was actively heating or cooling over the time period, and wherein generating information representative of the energy cost difference comprises:
 receiving outside temperature data for the time period, the outside temperature data corresponding to ambient temperature in an area outside the enclosure; 
 processing a measured ambient temperature in the enclosure over the time period in conjunction with the outside temperature data over the time period and the first runtime profile to generate the thermal model of the enclosure; and 
 processing the outside temperature data in conjunction with the thermal model of the enclosure and the second HVAC schedule to generate a second runtime profile. 
   
     
     
         10 . A system for promoting energy efficiency in association with an HVAC system of an enclosure, the system comprising:
 a network-enabled thermostat, wherein the HVAC system is controlled by the network-connected thermostat associated with a user interface;   a cloud-based server system that is in communication with the network-enabled thermostat, wherein the network-enabled thermostat and the cloud-based server system function as part of the system to:
 operate, over a time period, the HVAC system according to a first HVAC schedule; 
 process the first HVAC schedule to generate a second HVAC schedule representative of what would have been generated by an automated schedule learning algorithm operating over the time period; 
 simulate the second HVAC schedule using a thermal model of the enclosure; 
 generate information representative of an energy cost difference between an actual cost of operating the HVAC system according to the first HVAC schedule over the time period and a hypothetical cost of operating the HVAC system according to the second HVAC schedule over the time period based on simulating the second HVAC schedule using the thermal model of the enclosure; and 
 output the information representative of the energy cost difference via the user interface. 
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the information representative of the energy cost difference is based on a runtime of the HVAC system during the time period according the first HVAC schedule and the second HVAC schedule. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the information representative of the energy cost difference is further based on times at which the HVAC system was operating during the time period according the first HVAC schedule and the second HVAC schedule. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the information representative of the energy cost difference is representative of a difference in energy consumption. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the user interface is displayed remote from the network-connected thermostat on a mobile user device or is displayed by the network-enabled thermostat. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the network-enabled thermostat of the system generates and simulates the second HVAC schedule. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the cloud-based server system generates and simulates the second HVAC schedule. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the network-enabled thermostat and the cloud-based server system function as part of the system to:
 generate a first runtime profile indicating time intervals for which the HVAC system was actively heating or cooling over the time period, and wherein generating information representative of the energy cost difference comprises:
 receive outside temperature data for the time period, the outside temperature data corresponding to ambient temperature in an area outside the enclosure; 
 process an actual ambient temperature in the enclosure over the time period in conjunction with the outside temperature data over the time period and the first runtime profile to generate the thermal model of the enclosure; and 
 process the outside temperature data in conjunction with the thermal model of the enclosure and the second HVAC schedule to generate a second runtime profile. 
   
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions that cause one or more processors to:
 operate, over a time period, an HVAC system according to a first HVAC schedule for an enclosure;   process the first HVAC schedule to generate a second HVAC schedule representative of what would have been generated by an automated schedule learning algorithm operating over the time period, wherein:
 the second HVAC schedule is generated in the background based on the first HVAC schedule and the automated schedule learning algorithm, 
 the second HVAC schedule and the first HVAC schedule exist simultaneously, and 
 the second HVAC schedule is maintained distinct from the first HVAC schedule; 
   simulate the second HVAC schedule using a thermal model of the enclosure;   generate information representative of an energy cost difference between an actual cost of operating the HVAC system according to the first HVAC schedule over the time period and a hypothetical cost of operating the HVAC system according to the second HVAC schedule over the time period based on simulating the second HVAC schedule using the thermal model of the enclosure; and   output the information representative of the energy cost difference via a user interface.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the information representative of the energy cost difference is based on a runtime of the HVAC system during the time period. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory processor-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the processor-readable instructions of the non-transitory processor-readable medium are executed by a cloud-based server system remote from the HVAC system.