System and method for remote monitoring and diagnostics of hvac equipment

Abstract

Described is a system and method for remote monitoring and diagnostics of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment utilizing components to remotely monitor performance metrics for HVAC systems, report data to a centralized database for analysis and formulate a remediation plan. The system and method use monitoring devices which monitor air quality data and other data from the HVAC system. IoT and cloud-based solutions transmit data from monitoring devices to a centralized database for analysis/storage. An application program uses algorithms to analyze data to provide actionable alerts to the user if maintenance is needed. The algorithm is a control sequence for use in HVAC settings and uses logic based on the operating conditions reported by monitoring devices. If a need for system investigation or equipment maintenance is identified, the system generates an alert to the HVAC maintenance team for validation before sending the alert to the customer.

1 . An HVAC monitoring system comprising:
 a monitoring device configured to connect directly to and receive power from a new or existing residential HVAC system, the device having one or more HVAC sensors and or environmental sensors, the HVAC sensors configured to monitor the operation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning components of a new or existing residential HVAC system (internal conditions) and the environmental sensors configured to measure environmental conditions external to a new or existing residential HVAC system;   a communication module for transmitting data to and receiving data from a remote monitoring system;   wherein the device is further configured to:   execute a training phase during an initial period of operation, wherein the training phase includes:
 collecting data from at least one sensor regarding internal and environmental conditions; 
 establishing baseline operational parameters and alert thresholds for the new or existing residential HVAC system based on the collected data; 
 transition from the training phase to a remote monitoring regime upon completion of the training phase, wherein the remote monitoring regime includes: 
 continuously monitoring the operational data of the new or existing residential HVAC system through the communication module; 
 transmitting the operational data to a remote server for analysis; 
 displaying data, alerts, and operational recommendations on a portal. 
   
     
     
         2 . The HVAC monitoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the environmental conditions include temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, total volatile organic compounds, and air quality index. 
     
     
         3 . The HVAC monitoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the portal is a graphical user interface. 
     
     
         4 . The HVAC monitoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the graphical user interface is a mobile application or webpage. 
     
     
         5 . The HVAC monitoring system of  claim 1 , wherein the operation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning components of a new or existing residential HVAC system include filter differential pressure (inches water column), input power voltage (Volts), leaving air carbon dioxide (PPM), leaving air total volatile organic compounds (VOCs PPB), leaving air quality index, leaving air humidity (% RH), leaving air drybulb Temperature (° F.), system cooling mode (on/off), system heating mode (on/off), system fan only mode (on/off), outdoor air temperature Max (° F.), outdoor air temperature Min (° F.), outdoor air temperature average (° F.), outdoor air quality, cooling degree days (CDD), heating degree days (HDD), input power voltage max (V), input power voltage min (V), input power voltage average (V), cooling or heating or fan only runtime duration (minutes), total cooling or heating or fan only runtime (Minutes), consecutive maximum cooling or heating or fan only runtime (Minutes), consecutive minimum cooling or heating or fan only runtime (Minutes), consecutive average cooling or heating or fan only runtime (Minutes), consecutive maximum temperature (° F.) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, consecutive minimum temperature (° F.) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, consecutive average maximum temperature (° F.) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, consecutive average minimum temperature (° F.) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, consecutive filter differential pressure (inches water column) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, consecutive maximum filter differential pressure (inches water column) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, consecutive minimum filter differential pressure (inches water column) during cooling or heating or fan time only runtime, consecutive average filter differential pressure (inches water column) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, consecutive average maximum filter differential pressure (inches water column) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, consecutive average minimum filter differential pressure (inches water column) during cooling or heating or fan only runtime, or any combination or all of the above. 
     
     
         6 . A self-contained HVAC monitoring device comprising a plurality of sensors and communication module, the self-contained HVAC monitoring device configured to be positioned within an HVAC system and wire directly into a HVAC system power source. 
     
     
         7 . The self-contained HVAC monitoring device of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of sensors includes an air quality sensor, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, and a humidity sensor. 
     
     
         8 . The self-contained HVAC monitoring device of  claim 6 , wherein the communication module is WiFi and Bluetooth enabled. 
     
     
         9 . Methods for monitoring a residential HVAC system comprising:
 (i) monitoring HVAC parameters using a self-contained HAVC monitoring device configured to measure various conditions and gather data;   (ii) transmitting the data to a central database;   (iii) processing the data using programming at the central database;   (iv) performance and status is assessed and determinations are made regarding information transmission to users and technicians; and   (v) transmitting a status notification, maintenance recommendation, or an alert if such transmission is determined to be necessary.