Energy efficient hot water distribution

• Main Authors: Tchrakian, Tigran, Zhuk, Sergiy, Taheri, Nicole A, Yu, Jia Yuan
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 19.03.2019
• Subjects: BLASTING; CALCULATING; COMPUTING; CONTROLLING; COUNTING; DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS OR METHODS, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORYOR FORECASTING PURPOSES; FLUID HEATERS, e.g. WATER OR AIR HEATERS, HAVING HEATGENERATING MEANS, IN GENERAL; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PHYSICS; RANGES; REGULATING; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE,COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTINGPURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; VENTILATING; WEAPONS

A method and system of providing hot water efficiently. A cost of heating a volume of water to a predetermined temperature in a first water heater is determined. A cost of transferring a volume of hot water from a second water heater of a network of interconnected water heaters to the first water heater is determined. Upon determining that the cost of transferring the volume of hot water from the second water heater is lower than the cost of heating the volume of water of the first water heater, the second water heater transfers at least part of the volume of hot water to the first water heater. Otherwise, the volume of water is heated to the predetermined temperature in the first water heater.