US 12,281,817 B2
Methods and systems and apparatus to support reduced energy and water usage
Peter Konowalczyk, London (GB)
Assigned to OCTOPUS ENERGY HEATING LIMITED, London (GB)
Appl. No. 18/275,842
Filed by OCTOPUS ENERGY HEATING LIMITED, London (GB)
PCT Filed Feb. 7, 2022, PCT No. PCT/IB2022/051064
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 4, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/168034, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 11, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2101678 (GB), filed on Feb. 7, 2021; application No. 2109593 (GB), filed on Jul. 2, 2021; application No. 2109594 (GB), filed on Jul. 2, 2021; application No. 2109596 (GB), filed on Jul. 2, 2021; application No. 2109597 (GB), filed on Jul. 2, 2021; application No. 2109598 (GB), filed on Jul. 2, 2021; application No. 2109599 (GB), filed on Jul. 2, 2021; application No. 2109600 (GB), filed on Jul. 2, 2021; and application No. 2111086 (GB), filed on Aug. 2, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0093911 A1, Mar. 21, 2024
Int. Cl. F24H 15/429 (2022.01); F24D 19/10 (2006.01); F24H 15/156 (2022.01)
CPC F24H 15/429 (2022.01) [F24D 19/106 (2013.01); F24H 15/156 (2022.01); F24D 2200/08 (2013.01); F24D 2200/12 (2013.01); F24D 2200/14 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of signalling a command to a water heating appliance from a controllable water outlet supplied with water from the water heating appliance via a water supply line, the water heating appliance incorporating a renewable energy source in a form of a heat pump or a solar heating arrangement, and an energy store containing an energy storage medium to store thermal energy, and an instantaneous water heater, the method comprising:
monitoring the water supply line that feeds the controllable water outlet;
detecting a sequence of at least three changes within an interval of less than five seconds in a property or state of the water supply consequent on operation of the controllable water outlet;
correlating the sequence of changes with a stored pattern of changes;
determining whether the sequence of at least three changes and the stored pattern of changes match within a stored threshold;
interpreting the match as the command;
wherein the water heating appliance is arranged initially to provide heated water in a first mode when the controllable water outlet is opened and is arranged to switch to a second mode when the command is received;
wherein the first mode comprises an economy mode using one or both of the renewable energy source and stored thermal energy from the energy store wherein the renewable energy source is used depending on the amount of thermal energy stored in the energy storage medium, and
wherein the second mode comprises using the instantaneous water heater as required to achieve a predetermined target flow and temperature; and
wherein the purpose of the command is to change a flow rate or the temperature of the water supplied by the controllable water outlet.