JP5938083B2 - Home appliance information provision system - Google Patents

Description

   The present invention relates to a home appliance information providing system that provides information on home appliances as replacement candidates together with the energy saving effect.

   When a user replaces an old household appliance, there is an increasing tendency to place importance on the energy saving effect and select a replacement household appliance. Conventionally, as a reference information when replacing home appliances, there is one that places importance on price, such as the “Price.com” website, but information on replacement home appliances that emphasize energy saving effects ( There is nothing to provide reference information).

   On the other hand, recently, in each home, a power monitoring system called HEMS (Home Energy Management System) has been introduced so that the usage status of each home appliance can be grasped. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a method of estimating individual power consumption of home appliances by a non-intrusive method has also been proposed, and there is an environment in which it is easy to grasp the actual power consumption status of each home appliance. It is in place.

International Publication No. WO01 / 077696 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-574498)

   By the way, as information on each home appliance, there is a standard power consumption (for example, annual power consumption described in a catalog of home appliances), but there are various usage modes of home appliances by users, and actual power consumption throughout the year. Actually, the amount is not based on the reference power consumption. For example, for TVs whose standard power consumption is displayed as 150 kwh per year, the average daily usage time is assumed to be 4.5 hours, but the average daily usage time is 8 hours, for example. The usage time varies depending on the user. In addition, a user who uses a screen brighter than the standard or uses a louder volume consumes a larger amount of power than the reference power consumption.

   In addition, when a user tries to replace a certain home appliance, the reference power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance can be easily grasped by the fact that it is shortly after the start of sales or the storefront display at a home appliance store. . On the other hand, the standard power consumption of the currently owned home appliances that are to be replaced is often not easily grasped due to the loss of the catalog. That is, a situation in which even the difference in the reference power consumption between the owned home appliance and the replacement candidate home appliance cannot be grasped gradually occurs.

   In addition to the above, in order to promote energy saving, it is desired that the user can easily obtain home appliance information related to the energy saving effect.

   The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a home appliance information providing system that can provide information on replacement candidate home appliances together with information on the energy saving effect to the user. is there.

In order to achieve the above object, the following first solution is adopted in the present invention. That is, as described in claim 1 in the claims,
Storage means for storing information on old household appliances released in the past and new household appliances currently on sale in association with the reference power consumption,
Owned home appliance information obtaining means for obtaining possessed home appliance information for identifying the owned home appliance owned by the user via a communication network;
The owned home appliance identifying means for collating the retained home appliance information obtained by the owned home appliance information obtaining means with the storage means, and identifying the owned home appliance together with its reference power consumption,
Replacement condition acquisition means for acquiring replacement conditions for the home appliance desired by the user via a communication network;
The replacement condition acquired by the replacement condition acquisition unit is compared with the storage unit, and a replacement candidate home appliance determination unit that determines a replacement candidate home appliance;
A power consumption status obtaining means for obtaining an actual power consumption status of the owned home appliance via a communication network;
Estimated power consumption that is estimated to be consumed when the replacement candidate home appliance is actually used by the user based on the power consumption status obtained by the power consumption status obtaining unit and the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance An estimated power consumption determining means for determining the amount;
Based on the estimated power consumption of Gai換candidate home appliance determined by the actual power consumption status and the estimated power consumption amount determining means of the holders appliances, determines the energy-saving effect when instead purchase a該買conversion candidate Appliances Energy saving effect determination means to
Information regarding the replacement candidate home appliances, together with the energy saving effect determined by the energy saving effect determination means, the replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means for transmitting to the user via a communication network;
Bei to give a,
The power consumption status acquired by the power consumption status acquisition means includes the actual usage time and the actual power consumption of the home appliance,
The estimated power consumption determining means is
Correction coefficient determination means for determining a correction coefficient for the reference power consumption in the owned home appliance from the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance, the actual usage time, and the actual power consumption;
Based on the correction coefficient determined by the correction coefficient determination means and the actual usage time of the owned home appliance, the reference power consumption in the replacement candidate home appliance is corrected, and the corrected reference power consumption is estimated. Correction means for obtaining power consumption,
With
It is like that.

According to the above-described solution technique, not only information on replacement candidate home appliances that meet the replacement conditions desired by the user is provided, but also the energy saving effect between the owned home appliances and replacement candidate home appliances is provided to the user. This is preferable in promoting motivation to purchase replacement candidate home appliances. In particular, the energy saving effect is provided on the assumption that a replacement candidate home appliance is used in the same way as the actual usage status of the home appliances owned. Therefore, providing an appropriate energy saving effect according to the difference in user usage status Can do. Of course, even if the user does not desire replacement at the present time, it is preferable for the user to easily know the existence of a home appliance having a high energy saving effect and to actively encourage the user to save energy. In addition to the above, using the actual power consumption and the actual usage time for the owned home appliances, providing the energy-saving effect when using the replacement candidate home appliances in the same way as the owned home appliances with high accuracy it can. Furthermore, when the replacement candidate home appliance is used in the same manner as the owned home appliance, a specific method for accurately determining (estimating) the actual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance is provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the following second solution is adopted in the present invention. That is, as described in claim 2 in the scope of claims,
Storage means for storing information on old household appliances released in the past and new household appliances currently on sale in association with the reference power consumption,
Owned home appliance information obtaining means for obtaining possessed home appliance information for identifying the owned home appliance owned by the user via a communication network;
The owned home appliance identifying means for collating the retained home appliance information obtained by the owned home appliance information obtaining means with the storage means, and identifying the owned home appliance together with its reference power consumption,
A replacement candidate home appliance identifying means for identifying the recommended replacement candidate home appliance by collating the information on the retained home appliance specified by the owned home appliance specifying means with the storage means;
A power consumption status obtaining means for obtaining an actual power consumption status of the owned home appliance via a communication network;
Estimated power consumption that is estimated to be consumed when the replacement candidate home appliance is actually used by the user based on the power consumption status obtained by the power consumption status obtaining unit and the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance An estimated power consumption determining means for determining the amount;
Based on the estimated power consumption of Gai換candidate home appliance determined by the actual power consumption status and the estimated power consumption amount determining means of the holders appliances, determines the energy-saving effect when instead purchase a該買conversion candidate Appliances Energy saving effect determination means to
Information regarding the replacement candidate home appliances, together with the energy saving effect determined by the energy saving effect determination means, the replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means for transmitting to the user via a communication network;
Bei to give a,
The power consumption status acquired by the power consumption status acquisition means includes the actual usage time and the actual power consumption of the home appliance,
The estimated power consumption determining means is
Correction coefficient determination means for determining a correction coefficient for the reference power consumption in the owned home appliance from the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance, the actual usage time, and the actual power consumption;
Based on the correction coefficient determined by the correction coefficient determination means and the actual usage time of the owned home appliance, the reference power consumption in the replacement candidate home appliance is corrected, and the corrected reference power consumption is estimated. Correction means for obtaining power consumption,
With
It is like that.

According to the above solution, not only providing information on recommended replacement home appliances, but also providing users with energy-saving effects between owned home appliances and replacement candidate home appliances, and purchasing replacement home appliances This is preferable in promoting the motivation to perform. In particular, the energy saving effect is provided on the assumption that a replacement candidate home appliance is used in the same way as the actual usage status of the home appliances owned. Therefore, providing an appropriate energy saving effect according to the difference in user usage status Can do. In addition to the above, replacement home appliances are recommended products. In other words, home appliances that have new functions that the user does not know or that can be expected to save energy beyond the user's expectations are provided as replacement home appliances. You can also In addition to the above, using the actual power consumption and the actual usage time for the owned home appliances, providing the energy-saving effect when using the replacement candidate home appliances in the same way as the owned home appliances with high accuracy it can. Furthermore, when the replacement candidate home appliance is used in the same manner as the owned home appliance, a specific method for accurately determining (estimating) the actual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance is provided.

A preferred mode based on the second solution is as described in claim 3 in the claims. That is,
A replacement condition obtaining means for obtaining a replacement condition for the owned home appliance desired by the user via a communication network,
The replacement candidate home appliance specifying means, when the replacement condition is obtained by the replacement condition obtaining means, collates the replacement condition with the storage means and replaces the replacement candidate home appliance with the recommended replacement that determine as a substitute for the candidate consumer electronics,
(Corresponding to claim 3). In this case, when the user does not like the recommended replacement candidate home appliance, a new replacement candidate home appliance replacing the recommended replacement candidate home appliance can be provided to the user together with the energy saving effect.

A preferred mode based on the first solution technique and the second solution technique is as follows. That is,
The storage means stores at least a model number of the possessed home appliance,
As the possessed home appliance information, the model number of the retained home appliance is included.
(Corresponding to claim 4). In this case, by using simple information such as a model number, it is possible to specify the owned home appliance together with the reference power consumption amount accurately and easily from among many home appliances.

The storage means stores at least one or any number of a model number, a function, a manufacturer name, a manufacturing year, and an image in the owned home appliance,
The possessed home appliance information includes at least one or any combination of a model number, a function, a manufacturer name, a manufacturing year, and an image in the retained home appliance,
(Corresponding to claim 5). In this case, while obtaining the effect corresponding to claim 2, even when the model number is unknown, the owned home appliance can be specified together with the reference power consumption.

The power consumption status is obtained through a HEMS or smart meter to which the owned home appliance is connected (corresponding to claim 6 ). In this case, it is preferable in terms of improving the accuracy of the energy saving effect to be provided by effectively using the HEMS or smart meter as a power monitoring system, easily obtaining the actual power consumption, usage time, etc. of the home appliances. It will be a thing.

The energy saving effect determined by the energy saving effect determining means is determined based on an annual power consumption amount in the owned home appliance and an annual power consumption amount in the replacement candidate home appliance (claim 7 ). Correspondence). In this case, the provided energy saving effect can be made with high accuracy that appropriately reflects the user's possessed home appliance usage status.

The energy saving effect determining means determines at least a difference between an annual electricity charge corresponding to the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and an annual electricity charge corresponding to the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance. ,
The replacement candidate home appliance information transmission means transmits at least a difference in annual electricity charges between the owned home appliance and the replacement candidate home appliance,
This is done (corresponding to claim 8 ). In this case, the user can grasp the energy saving effect for the year as the amount of money.

The energy saving effect determining means determines a power consumption difference that is a difference between at least the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance,
The replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means transmits at least the annual power consumption difference between the owned home appliance and the replacement candidate home appliance,
(Corresponding to claim 9 ). In this case, the user can grasp the energy saving effect for the year as a reduction amount of the power consumption.

As the energy saving effect determined by the energy saving effect determining means, the annual power consumption reduction amount that is the difference between the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance, and Decide the corresponding annual electricity bill reduction amount,
The replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means transmits an annual power consumption reduction amount and an annual electricity charge reduction amount between the owned home appliance and the replacement candidate home appliance,
(Corresponding to claim 10 ). In this case, the user can grasp the annual energy saving effect as the amount of money and the amount of power consumption reduction.

The replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means transmits the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance together (corresponding to claim 11 ). In this case, the user can grasp the actual annual power consumption for both the owned home appliances and the replacement candidate home appliances, and more feel the energy saving effect.

When there are a plurality of replacement candidate home appliances, the replacement candidate home appliance determining means provides the plurality of replacement candidate home appliances to a user via a communication network, and selects the replacement candidate home appliances from the plurality of replacement candidate home appliances. One replacement candidate home appliance desired by the user is obtained via the communication network (corresponding to claim 12 ). In this case, it is preferable in accurately determining the replacement candidate home appliance desired by the user.

The power consumption status obtaining means obtains information about the total power usage status on the user side via a communication network when the individual power consumption status related to the owned home appliance is not available, and from the obtained total power usage status The individual power consumption status relating to the owned home appliance is estimated (corresponding to claim 13 ). In this case, it is preferable in increasing the opportunity to obtain the actual power consumption and the actual usage time for the home appliance.

The power consumption status acquisition means provides power consumption status inquiry information to a user via a communication network when the individual power consumption status regarding the owned home appliance cannot be obtained, and provides the user based on the inquiry information. The power consumption status is obtained via a communication network, and the power consumption status is estimated based on the information provided from the obtained user (corresponding to claim 14 ). In this case, it is preferable to ensure that the actual power consumption and the actual usage time for the home appliance can be obtained even if there is some error.

   ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the information of replacement candidate household appliances can be provided with the information regarding the energy-saving effect with high feasibility supposing the case where it uses similarly to possessed household appliances. In addition, it is preferable for the user to easily obtain information on home appliances having a high energy saving effect and to actively promote energy saving.

1 is an overall system diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the memory example of household appliance information. The flowchart which shows the example of control of this invention. The flowchart which shows the continuation of FIG. The flowchart which shows the continuation of FIG. The figure which shows the example for selecting the kind of household appliance on the screen provided to a user. The figure which shows the example for inputting the information regarding a household appliance in the screen provided to a user. The figure which shows the example for inputting the information regarding the actual electric power usage condition of the possessed household appliance on the screen provided to a user. The figure which illustrated the information regarding the replacement candidate household appliance with the energy saving effect on the screen provided to a user. The figure which shows the transition example of the annual total electric power consumption in a certain household. The figure which shows the transition example of the total electric power consumption of a day in a certain household. The figure which shows the transition example of the electric power consumption of one day about a certain one household appliance.

   In FIG. 1, IN is the Internet as a communication network. The server device SB and the user (home) are connected via the Internet IN and can communicate with each other. That is, the server device SB, in addition to the communication means 10 for communicating via the Internet IN, will be described later, respectively, information on old home appliances (for example, home appliances that have been on sale two years ago from now), and new home appliances ( For example, storage means 12 that stores information related to home appliances that are still being sold two years after the start of sales, a search unit 13 for specifying home appliances or specifying replacement home appliances, and estimating energy saving effects A simulation unit 14 and the like.

   An example of the stored contents of the storage means 12 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, for each "model number", the classification name (product name), manufacturer name, release date (and / or manufacturing date), annual power consumption, screen size In addition to the presence / absence of 3D, the number of pixels, the presence / absence of an image, each dimension of vertical, horizontal, height, mass, and the like are stored in association with each other. The “model number” can identify one specific home appliance among all home appliances. In addition, the power consumption is the power consumption when using a standard time (usually 4.5 hours per day) in a standard usage mode. In FIG. 2, information about only the TV is shown. However, for various types of home appliances such as a refrigerator, an air conditioner, and a washing machine, the various types of information are the reference power consumption as in the case of the TV. It is remembered with.

   In a user, that is, a certain home, for example, a user terminal 21 composed of a personal computer can be connected to the Internet IN via a router 22. Although not shown, the user terminal 21 has a display screen and input means (for example, a keyboard and a mouse) as well known, and also has a communication function.

   The router 22 is connected to a HEMS 23 that is a kind of energy management system (apparatus). The HEMS 23 is connected with, for example, a television 24, a refrigerator 25, an air conditioner 24, and the like as home appliances. The HEMS 23 stores the power usage status (for example, power usage time, power consumption, number of times of use, etc.) of the home appliances 24 to 26 individually. In FIG. 1, the HEMS 23 is connected to the Internet IN via the router 22, but may be directly connected to the Internet IN. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, server apparatus SB has a memory | storage means etc. for memorize | storing temporarily various information (especially information from the user terminal 21) temporarily.

   Next, the outline of the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where a user replaces a television set as a home appliance. The term “repurchase” here does not presuppose that the replacement is necessarily performed, but includes the possibility of future replacement. (Reference information is obtained in consideration of the possibility of future replacement. For this system). Further, in the embodiment, a user who wants to receive home appliance information performs user registration on the server device SB side in advance, and at that time, the HEMS 23 ID and the like can be specified so that the HEMS 23 can be specified on the server device SB side. I try to get it.

   First, when the user terminal 21 is operated to access a home page provided by the server device SB and a replacement service providing service for home appliances is selected, for example, a screen as shown in FIG. (A program corresponding to the display screen is transmitted from the server device SB to the user terminal 21). This FIG. 6 is for selecting the type of household appliance to be replaced, and by selecting one of the check fields (circled portion) 15 in the display section of the corresponding household appliance name, there is 1 Two home appliances are selected. FIG. 6 shows a case where a television is selected. Then, by clicking the “Next” button 16 displayed on the display screen, the fact that the television is selected as the replacement candidate home appliance is transmitted to the server device SB via the Internet IN (“Next”). The URL for accessing the server device SB is embedded in correspondence with the button 16).

   When the server device SB receives that the television has been selected, the server device SB performs the next transmission to the user terminal 21, and the display as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an example of a screen for inputting information on a television as a currently used home appliance. For example, in addition to the most important model number input column 31 for specifying the owned home appliance, a manufacturer name input column 32, a screen size input field 33 and a release year (or purchase year or manufacturing year) input field 34 are displayed. FIG. 7 shows a state after all the fields 31 to 34 are input.

   In the screen of FIG. 7, check fields 35 and 36 are displayed for selecting whether the replacement condition is “same level as owned home appliances” or not “equivalent level” but “required replacement condition exists”. Is done. FIG. 7 shows a state in which it is selected that the user wants to purchase a TV set of “equivalent to the level of possession”.

   In the screen of FIG. 7, a plurality of check fields 41 for selecting a function of the owned home appliance are further displayed in order to identify the owned home appliance. As the displayed function, for example, a 3D function (three-dimensional display function), a 4K function (function related to the number of pixels), a HDD built-in function, a HDD external function, a LAN function, and the like can be selected. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the “HDD built-in” function is selected. Moreover, the free entry column 42 for a user to fill in the information regarding a household appliance freely is also provided. In addition, in FIG. 7, an “existing” check field 43 and an “absent” check field 44 attached to an image relating to the home appliance are displayed. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the value check column 43 in which the image attachment is “present” is checked. For example, when the check box 43 for “Attach image” is checked, another screen for pasting the image is displayed, and a button for ending the image pasting is attached. By clicking, the screen returns to FIG. A program relating to screen display for image attachment is transmitted to the user terminal 21 in association with information for display as shown in FIG.

   In FIG. 7, a check column 45 “Allow use of power usage information” is also displayed. This check column 45 is for carefully handling personal information. In addition, when obtaining power usage information from the HEMS 23, which will be described later, the permission of an administrator (for example, a power company) managing the power usage information is obtained in advance. When the transmission button 46 is clicked in the state of FIG. 7, the input content as shown in FIG. 7 is transmitted to the server device SB via the Internet IN.

   When the server device SB receives the input information as shown in FIG. 7, the received information is checked against the stored contents of the storage unit 12 to identify the home appliance (as a television). In this specification, in particular, it is specified in association with the reference power consumption.

   The server device SB searches the storage means 12 for a replacement candidate home appliance that matches the user's replacement request conditions (in the embodiment, the same level as the owned home appliance) and specifies (selects) it. In addition, the reference power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance is also specified. If multiple replacement candidate home appliances exist, all of them may be provided to the user together with an energy saving effect. However, in order to save energy, the one with the lowest standard power consumption that meets the replacement conditions is purchased. It is preferable to specify (select) as a replacement candidate home appliance. In addition, when there are a plurality of replacement candidate home appliances, a plurality of replacement candidate home appliances may be provided to the user once, and one replacement candidate home appliance may be selected from among them. May provide the user with energy saving effect information about all of the plurality of replacement candidate home appliances. If there is no replacement candidate home appliance that completely matches the replacement condition, the home appliance closest to the replacement condition may be specified as the replacement candidate home appliance (in this case, the replacement condition is completely It is preferable to provide the user with a caution display indicating that they do not match).

   Next, the server device SB accesses the HEMS 23 via the Internet IN, and the power consumption status of the owned home appliances, in particular, the actual power consumption amount during a certain period (for example, one year) of the specified owned home appliances. Get the actual usage time.

   When the actual power consumption status of the owned home appliance is obtained, the server device SB obtains the actual power consumption obtained from the HEMS 23, the actual usage time, and the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance (the contents stored in the first storage unit 11). The correction coefficient for the reference power consumption of the home appliance is calculated. This correction coefficient correct | amends reference | standard power consumption according to the actual use condition of the household appliances by a user.

   Specifically, the correction coefficient is calculated as follows. First, for the home appliances, the actual power consumption situation of the year is, for example, 329 Kwh, the average usage time per day is, for example, 7.5 hours, and the reference power consumption of the home appliances stored in the storage unit 12 A case is assumed in which (an average of 4.5 hours per day is assumed) is, for example, 165 Kwh. Under such an assumed condition, the actual power consumption when the owned home appliance is used for an average of 4.5 hours per day is “329 Kwh × 4.5 hours / 7.5 hours = 197 Kwh”.

   The actual power consumption of the average daily usage time of 4.5 hours for owned home appliances is 197 Kwh, which is 1.2 times larger than the reference power consumption 165 Kwh stored in the storage unit 12. “1.2” corresponding to 1.2 times is calculated as a correction coefficient.

   In addition, when the reference power consumption (annual power consumption with an average daily usage time of 4.5 hours) for the replacement candidate home appliance obtained by collation with the storage unit 12 as described above is 112 Kwh, for example, The annual power consumption when the replacement candidate home appliance is used in the same manner as the home appliance is “112 Kwh × correction coefficient 1.2 × 7.5 hours / 4.5 hours = 224 Kwh”.

   The actual annual power consumption of the owned home appliance is 329 Kwh, and the annual power consumption when the replacement candidate home appliance is used in the same manner as the owned home appliance is 224 Kwh. Therefore, the difference of 105 Kwh is the power consumption This is the annual reduction of the amount. Assuming that the electricity bill per 1 Kwh is 22 yen, the annual electricity bill reduction amount is “105 Kwh × 22 yen = 2310 yen”. The above-described annual power consumption reduction amount 105 Kwh and the annual electricity bill reduction amount corresponding thereto are numerical values indicating the energy saving effect.

   The server device SB transmits the specified replacement candidate home appliance and the energy saving effect by replacement to the user terminal 21 via the Internet IN, and the transmission result is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 21 as shown in FIG. Displayed in various ways. That is, for each of the home appliances and replacement candidate home appliances, the model number and the annual power consumption are displayed, and the annual power consumption reduction amount and the electricity bill reduction amount as an energy saving effect are displayed. . Although details are omitted in FIG. 7, various functions for replacement candidate home appliances are displayed together. When the “details” button 61 is clicked, it is transmitted to the server device SB, and further detailed information on the replacement candidate home appliance is transmitted from the server device SB to the user terminal 21 (the transmitted details). The specific display mode of such information is not shown).

   From the screen display as shown in FIG. 9, the user can numerically recognize the energy saving effect of the replacement candidate home appliances, and is motivated to purchase the replacement candidate home appliances. Moreover, even if the replacement is not considered at the present time, it is preferable to make it easy to obtain information on home appliances with high energy saving effect and to actively encourage users to purchase home appliances for energy saving. The server device SB can be connected to a business by posting advertisements of manufacturers who manufacture replacement candidate home appliances on the website.

   When the power consumption status of the home appliance cannot be grasped by the HEMS 23, information on the total power consumption summing up the power consumption of all home appliances connected to the HEMS 23 is obtained, and the home appliance to be replaced You may make it estimate the power consumption and usage time about itself. That is, FIG. 10 to FIG. 12 show examples of changes in the power consumption stored in the HEMS 23. FIG. 10 shows an example in which the total power consumption of all household appliances throughout the year changes. FIG. 11 shows an example of how the total power consumption in a certain day time is changed in FIG. FIG. 12 shows how the power consumption per day for a certain home appliance changes. The HEMS 23 normally stores a detailed state of power consumption change for each home appliance as shown in FIG. 12, and the power consumption amount as shown in FIG. It will be possible to obtain annual power consumption and usage time for two home appliances. When the data indicating the power consumption state focusing on a certain home appliance as shown in FIG. 12 is not available, the annual power consumption of a certain home appliance from the power consumption state as shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. And the usage time may be estimated.

   When the actual power consumption status cannot be obtained for the owned home appliance due to lack of the HEMS 23 or the like, the server device SB may inquire the user terminal 21 about the power consumption status of the owned home appliance via the Internet IN. Good. An example of a display screen displayed on the user terminal 21 for this inquiry is shown in FIG.

   In FIG. 8, an input field 51 for inputting the average daily usage time, an input field 52 for inputting the usage time zone, an input field 53 for the screen brightness level, and an input field 54 for the volume setting level are displayed. When the “Send” button 55 is clicked after input in each field, the input content shown in FIG. 8 is sent to the server device SB via the Internet IN.

   The server device SB calculates (estimates) a correction coefficient for the reference power consumption in the home appliance from the input content as shown in FIG. When setting the correction coefficient, the brightness coefficient α and the volume coefficient β are set in accordance with the respective levels, and the final correction system coefficient can be obtained by multiplying both the coefficients α and β. it can. For example, the brightness coefficient α is set to 1 for standard, 1.1 for a slightly bright level, 1.2 for a bright level, 0.9 for a slightly dark level, and 0.8 for a dark level. Similarly, the volume coefficient β is 1 for standard, 1.1 for a slightly large level, 1.2 for a large level, and 0.9. The small level is set to 0.8. For example, if the brightness coefficient α is 1.2 and the volume coefficient β is 1.1, the final correction coefficient is “1.2 × 1.1 = 1.32.” Of course, this correction coefficient is used as a correction coefficient for calculating the power consumption when the replacement candidate household appliance is used in the same manner as the owned household appliance.

   Next, a specific control example of the server device SB that performs the control as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. In the following description, S indicates a step.

   First, when it is determined in S1 of FIG. 3 whether or not a request for acquiring information on replacement of home appliances has been received from the user (user terminal 21), information on owned home appliances to be replaced in S2 is determined. An input screen (input screen information) for inputting is transmitted, and a display as shown in FIG. 6 is performed on the display screen of the user terminal 21. Next, in S3, it is determined whether or not the input information has been obtained. When the “Send” button 21 in FIG. 6 is clicked, the determination in S2 is YES.

   If YES in S3, the presence or absence of model number information is determined in S4. When the determination in S4 is YES, in S5, the acquired model number is collated with the storage means 12, and the home appliance and its reference power consumption are specified. When the determination in S4 is NO, it is determined in S6 whether or not there is functional information as information about the acquired home appliance. When the determination in S6 is YES, in S7, the function information is collated with the storage means 12, and the owned home appliance and its reference power consumption are specified. If the determination in S6 is NO, it is determined in S8 whether image information is present as information about the acquired home appliance. When the determination in S8 is YES, in S9, the image information is collated with the storage means 12, and the owned home appliance and its reference power consumption are specified.

   When the determination in S8 is NO, it is a time when the owned home appliance cannot be specified, and at this time, that fact is transmitted to the user terminal 21 via the Internet IN. In this case, the display contents as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 (more detailed data input is required) are corrected, and the home appliances are specified again.

   After S5, S7 or S9, the process proceeds to S21 in FIG. In S21, the request | requirement of the electric power information (electric power consumption condition) about a household appliance is transmitted to HEMS23 via the internet IN. Thereafter, when it is confirmed in S22 that the power information from the HEMS 23 has been received, in S23, it is determined whether or not the power information about the owned home appliance itself to be replaced is included. When the determination in S23 is YES, the power usage status (annual power consumption and usage time) of the owned home appliance is specified.

   When the determination in S23 is NO, in S25, it is determined whether or not the power information received in S22 has overall power information for various home appliances. When the determination in S25 is YES, power information (annual power consumption and usage time) about the owned home appliance to be replaced is estimated from the entire power information.

   When the determination in S25 is NO, in S27, information for inquiring about the power usage status of the home appliance is transmitted to the user terminal 21 via the Internet IN. That is, as a result of the processing in S27, an inquiry screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 21. Thereafter, when it is confirmed in S28 that the information input in FIG. 8 has been received, the power usage status (annual power consumption and usage time) of the owned home appliance is specified (estimated) in S29.

   After S24, S26 or S29, the process proceeds to S41 in FIG. In S41, it is determined whether or not the desired replacement condition is at the same level as the home appliance. If the determination in S41 is YES, in S42, the storage unit 12 is searched for information on the home appliances, and a replacement candidate home appliance is searched. In S43, the replacement candidate home appliance as a search result is the reference. It is specified together with the power consumption.

   After S43, in S44, the power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance when used in the same manner as the actual usage state of the owned home appliance is calculated (calculation of the annual power consumption taking into account the correction coefficient and the annual usage time) ). Thereafter, in S45, the energy saving effect is calculated as described above. Next, in S46, information on replacement candidate home appliances is transmitted to the user terminal 21 through the Internet IN together with the energy saving effect calculated in S45.

   If the determination in 41 is NO, in S46, the user's desired replacement condition is checked against the storage means 12, and a replacement candidate home appliance is searched. In S47, the replacement candidate home appliance (information) that is the search result in S46 is specified together with the reference power consumption. After S47, the process proceeds to S44.

Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and can be appropriately changed within the scope described in the scope of claims. For example, the invention includes the following cases. .
(1) Household appliances to be replaced are not limited to televisions, and may include appropriate items such as refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners.
(2) The energy saving effect transmitted to the user can be at least one of the power consumption and the electricity charge, but it is better for the user to understand the energy saving effect by transmitting both. It is preferable. Moreover, as an energy-saving effect, it can set suitably according to the kind of household appliances, such as the amount of water which can be reduced, the water charge which can be reduced, and the water charge which can be reduced (in the case of a washing machine) other than the power consumption which can be reduced and the electricity bill which can be reduced.
(3) The HEMS 23 includes an appropriate one regardless of its name as long as it monitors (stores) the power consumption and the usage time thereof, such as those designated by MEMS and BMES. In addition, a smart meter can be used instead of the HEMS 23.
(4) When a home appliance is specified, it can be specified by combining a plurality of pieces of information, for example, any combination of model number, manufacturer name, function, release date, etc. (specific accuracy) Improvement). Moreover, about the specified owned household appliance, it can also be once transmitted to the user terminal 21, and it can be made to confirm that there is no mistake in the owned household appliance which the user specified. Moreover, when specifying the home appliances using the storage contents of the storage unit 12, it is possible to perform partial matching instead of complete matching.
(5) If there are a plurality of replacement candidate home appliances, the plurality of replacement candidate home appliances (information on the replacement) are once transmitted to the user terminal 21 and one replacement candidate home appliance desired by the user is specified from among the temporary replacement home appliances. You may make it do. In addition, when there are a plurality of replacement candidate home appliances, information on the plurality of replacement candidate home appliances and an energy saving effect corresponding to the information may be provided to the user.
(6) The storage unit 12 stores information about both old and new home appliances, but the storage unit 12 includes, for example, a first storage unit that stores information about old home appliances and a second unit that stores new home appliances. You may make it memorize | store it separately with a memory | storage means. In this case, the home appliance information stored in the second storage unit is changed (transferred) to the storage content in the first storage unit as an old home appliance as time passes. The first storage unit and the second storage unit may be physically separated, but may be stored in the same storage unit (for example, one large-capacity HDD), for example, divided into areas. .
(7) When providing replacement home appliances, regardless of the user's desire for replacement, the recommended replacement home appliances may be identified from the information on the specified owned home appliances and provided to the user. Good. In this case, it is preferable to provide, as recommended replacement candidate home appliances, those having the same level (equivalent function) or higher as those of the home appliances and having the latest release date. When there are multiple recommended replacement candidate home appliances, it is preferable to select the one with the lowest standard power consumption as the final recommended replacement home appliance, but once provide multiple recommended replacement candidate home appliances to the user Then, the user may select one recommended replacement candidate home appliance from among them, and further provide the user with energy saving effect information on all of the plurality of recommended replacement candidate home appliances. Also good. In addition, when the recommended replacement candidate home appliance is provided, an inquiry (send indication) is made as to whether or not the recommended replacement candidate home appliance is desired (satisfied). When there is a reply in the case of not requesting home appliances, it is possible to newly specify replacement candidate home appliances that meet (or close to) the user's desired replacement conditions as described above and provide them to the user.
(8) The present invention includes not only providing information related to home appliances with reduced power consumption but also providing information about home appliances with increased power consumption. Specifically, for example, when a user considers replacement from a small television to a large television, the provided energy saving effect may be provided as an increase in power consumption (an increase in electricity bill). Even in this case, the user can know how much the power consumption (electricity charge) has increased by the provided energy saving effect, and can use it as a study material for replacement with a large-sized television. If the increase in power consumption (electricity charges) due to replacement with a large-sized TV does not meet the user's will, change the TV size as a replacement condition to a slightly smaller one, and request the provision of an energy-saving effect again. You can also.
(9) The present invention can also be grasped as a method invention executed by the server apparatus SB, and a program for executing the functions of the server apparatus SB configured using a computer or a storage storing this program It also implicitly includes providing media. In addition, the object of the present invention is not limited to what is explicitly stated, but implicitly includes providing what is substantially preferable or expressed as an advantage.

   The present invention is suitable for providing home appliance information that promotes energy saving.

IN: Internet (communication network)
SB: Server device 12: Storage means 21: User terminal 23: HEMS
24: Television (home appliances)
25: Refrigerator (home appliance)
26: Air conditioner (home appliance)

Claims (14)

Storage means for storing information on old household appliances released in the past and new household appliances currently on sale in association with the reference power consumption,
Owned home appliance information obtaining means for obtaining possessed home appliance information for identifying the owned home appliance owned by the user via a communication network;
The owned home appliance identifying means for collating the retained home appliance information obtained by the owned home appliance information obtaining means with the storage means, and identifying the owned home appliance together with its reference power consumption,
Replacement condition acquisition means for acquiring replacement conditions for the home appliance desired by the user via a communication network;
The replacement condition acquired by the replacement condition acquisition unit is compared with the storage unit, and a replacement candidate home appliance determination unit that determines a replacement candidate home appliance;
A power consumption status obtaining means for obtaining an actual power consumption status of the owned home appliance via a communication network;
Estimated power consumption that is estimated to be consumed when the replacement candidate home appliance is actually used by the user based on the power consumption status obtained by the power consumption status obtaining unit and the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance An estimated power consumption determining means for determining the amount;
Based on the estimated power consumption of Gai換candidate home appliance determined by the actual power consumption status and the estimated power consumption amount determining means of the holders appliances, determines the energy-saving effect when instead purchase a該買conversion candidate Appliances Energy saving effect determination means to
Information regarding the replacement candidate home appliances, together with the energy saving effect determined by the energy saving effect determination means, the replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means for transmitting to the user via a communication network;
Bei to give a,
The power consumption status acquired by the power consumption status acquisition means includes the actual usage time and the actual power consumption of the home appliance,
The estimated power consumption determining means is
Correction coefficient determination means for determining a correction coefficient for the reference power consumption in the owned home appliance from the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance, the actual usage time, and the actual power consumption;
Based on the correction coefficient determined by the correction coefficient determination means and the actual usage time of the owned home appliance, the reference power consumption in the replacement candidate home appliance is corrected, and the corrected reference power consumption is estimated. Correction means for obtaining power consumption,
With
A home appliance information provision system characterized by this. Storage means for storing information on old household appliances released in the past and new household appliances currently on sale in association with the reference power consumption,
Owned home appliance information obtaining means for obtaining possessed home appliance information for identifying the owned home appliance owned by the user via a communication network;
The owned home appliance identifying means for collating the retained home appliance information obtained by the owned home appliance information obtaining means with the storage means, and identifying the owned home appliance together with its reference power consumption,
A replacement candidate home appliance identifying means for identifying the recommended replacement candidate home appliance by collating the information on the retained home appliance specified by the owned home appliance specifying means with the storage means;
A power consumption status obtaining means for obtaining an actual power consumption status of the owned home appliance via a communication network;
Estimated power consumption that is estimated to be consumed when the replacement candidate home appliance is actually used by the user based on the power consumption status obtained by the power consumption status obtaining unit and the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance An estimated power consumption determining means for determining the amount;
Based on the estimated power consumption of Gai換candidate home appliance determined by the actual power consumption status and the estimated power consumption amount determining means of the holders appliances, determines the energy-saving effect when instead purchase a該買conversion candidate Appliances Energy saving effect determination means to
Information regarding the replacement candidate home appliances, together with the energy saving effect determined by the energy saving effect determination means, the replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means for transmitting to the user via a communication network;
Bei to give a,
The power consumption status acquired by the power consumption status acquisition means includes the actual usage time and the actual power consumption of the home appliance,
The estimated power consumption determining means is
Correction coefficient determination means for determining a correction coefficient for the reference power consumption in the owned home appliance from the reference power consumption of the owned home appliance, the actual usage time, and the actual power consumption;
Based on the correction coefficient determined by the correction coefficient determination means and the actual usage time of the owned home appliance, the reference power consumption in the replacement candidate home appliance is corrected, and the corrected reference power consumption is estimated. Correction means for obtaining power consumption,
With
A home appliance information provision system characterized by this. In claim 2,
A replacement condition obtaining means for obtaining a replacement condition for the owned home appliance desired by the user via a communication network,
The replacement candidate home appliance specifying means, when the replacement condition is obtained by the replacement condition obtaining means, collates the replacement condition with the storage means and replaces the replacement candidate home appliance with the recommended replacement that determine as a substitute for the candidate consumer electronics,
Consumer electronics information providing system characterized a call. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The storage means stores at least a model number of the possessed home appliance,
The home appliance information providing system including a model number of the home appliance as the home appliance information. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The storage means stores at least one or any number of a model number, a function, a manufacturer name, a release year, and an image in the owned home appliance,
The possessed home appliance information includes at least one or any combination of a model number, a function, a manufacturer name, a release year, and an image in the retained home appliance,
A home appliance information provision system characterized by this. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5 ,
The home appliance information providing system, wherein the power consumption state is obtained through a HEMS or a smart meter to which the owned home appliance is connected. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 ,
The energy saving effect determined by the energy saving effect determining means is determined based on the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance. system. In claim 7 ,
The energy saving effect determining means determines at least a difference between an annual electricity charge corresponding to the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and an annual electricity charge corresponding to the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance. ,
The replacement candidate home appliance information transmission means transmits at least a difference in annual electricity charges between the owned home appliance and the replacement candidate home appliance,
A home appliance information provision system characterized by this. In claim 7 ,
The energy saving effect determining means determines a power consumption difference that is a difference between at least the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance,
The replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means transmits at least the annual power consumption difference between the owned home appliance and the replacement candidate home appliance,
A home appliance information provision system characterized by this. In claim 7 ,
As the energy saving effect determined by the energy saving effect determining means, the annual power consumption reduction amount that is the difference between the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance, and Decide the corresponding annual electricity bill reduction amount,
The replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means transmits an annual power consumption reduction amount and an annual electricity charge reduction amount between the owned home appliance and the replacement candidate home appliance,
A home appliance information provision system characterized by this. In claim 10 ,
The replacement candidate home appliance information transmitting means transmits the annual power consumption of the owned home appliance and the annual power consumption of the replacement candidate home appliance together. Oite to claim 1,
When there are a plurality of replacement candidate home appliances, the replacement candidate home appliance determining means provides the plurality of replacement candidate home appliances to a user via a communication network, and selects the replacement candidate home appliances from the plurality of replacement candidate home appliances. A home appliance information providing system, wherein a user purchases one replacement candidate home appliance through a communication network. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 12 ,
The power consumption status obtaining means obtains information about the total power usage status on the user side via a communication network when the individual power consumption status related to the owned home appliance is not available, and from the obtained total power usage status A home appliance information provision system characterized by estimating an individual power consumption state of the home appliance. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 12 ,
The power consumption status acquisition means provides power consumption status inquiry information to a user via a communication network when the individual power consumption status regarding the owned home appliance cannot be obtained, and provides the user based on the inquiry information. A home appliance information providing system characterized in that a power consumption status obtained is obtained via a communication network, and a power consumption status is estimated based on information provided from the obtained user.

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