Residential integrated ventilation energy controller

Abstract

A residential controller is described which is used to manage the mechanical ventilation systems of a home, installed to meet whole-house ventilation requirements, at the same time reducing energy costs. This is achieved in part by shifting the ventilation load of the whole-house system to off peak hours and by taking into account exogenous mechanical ventilation induced by other systems. The controller is linked by wire or wirelessly to other house ventilation systems using any one of a number of communication protocols, sensing the on-off status of such exogenous systems. An operational algorithm preloaded and / or modified at the point of use is used to control the on-off status or fan speed of a whole-house ventilation fan which forms a part of the home ventilation system, the operating status of the whole-house fan in part responsive to the status of other home ventilation systems, and in part based on time of day.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This Non Provisional US patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 287,356, filed Dec. 17, 2009, entitled Residential Integrated Ventilation Energy Controller, the contents of said application incorporated in its entirety, as if fully set forth herein.STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENTAL SUPPORT[0002]The invention described and claimed herein was made in part utilizing funds supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Regents of the University of California for the management and operation of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The government has certain rights in this invention.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]1. Field of the Invention[0004]This invention relates generally to ventilation systems for residential homes, designed to meet new and emerging air quality standards, and more specifically to a programmed / programmable ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]By way of this invention, a smart fan controller is provided that can substantially reduce the energy and peak power required to provide mechanical ventilation to a home in a way that effectively maintains home air quality. The smart fan controller achieves this by communicating with other exhaust or supply air systems in the home, such as those commonly found in bathrooms, kitchens, dryers, and the like, and controlling the operation of the whole-house ventilation fan which comprises a vital component of the mechanical ventilation system, turning it off (or down in the case where the fan can operate at variable speeds) in response to the status of other exhaust and supply fans in the home. In one embodiment, the smart fan controller is used detect whether or not such other, exogenous home exhaust or supply fans are on, and if so, it directs the whole-house fan to turn off. In another embodiment, where the whole-house fan can operate at variable speeds, the smart fan controller can also be used to detect the speed at which exogenous, variable speed supply or exhaust fans are operating, and adjust the speed of a variable speed whole-house fan in response. In yet another embodiment, using an on-off control algorithm, the ventilation load of the whole-house ventilation system can be shifted to off peak hours. In one embodiment, this is achieved by dividing the day into several segments, during one of which the ventilation fan is programmed to be completely shut off.

Problems solved by technology

Indoor air quality is a complex result of occupant activities, human responses, source emission, and contaminant removal.

Virtually every building code contains requirements related to ventilation and indoor air quality, but an integrated approach to looking at residential indoor air quality is usually lacking.

However, as a consequence of air tightness requirements needed to meet such mandated energy efficiencies, without provision for ventilation, contaminant build up within the house can quickly become unacceptable.

However, these simple solutions cannot be relied upon for adequate ventilation as most new insulative dual pane windows are kept shut most of the time to keep heat in during the winter months, heat out during the summer months, or for reasons relating to noise or security.

With retrofit sealing of older homes, the problem is exacerbated by the fact the contribution of infiltration to home ventilation is reduced such that infiltration alone can no longer be relied upon as a means for achieving adequate air exchange.

However, there remains a concern that such ventilation systems with their own energy requirements can add significantly to the costs of operating a home.

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