Method and system for detecting an operational mode of a building control component

A building control system for controlling one or more building components located within a building including at least one discrete air conditioner unit, the building control system comprising:

• a discrete air conditioner unit coupled to a power source;
• a discrete air conditioner controller configured to communicate with and control the discrete air conditioner unit via one or more commands transmitted to the discrete air conditioner unit via a first wireless communications path, the discrete air conditioner controller comprising a memory and a controller located within a housing, the memory storing an operating schedule for operating the discrete air conditioner unit and the controller configured to send out one or more commands to the discrete air conditioner unit in accordance with the operating schedule stored in the memory;
• a central coordinator comprising a user interface, a memory, and a controller, the controller of the central coordinator configured to receive and accept an operating schedule from a user via the user interface and to send at least a portion of the operating schedule to the discrete air conditioner controller via a second wireless communications path, wherein at least a portion of the operating schedule is stored in the memory of the discrete air conditioner controller;
• and
• an operational mode sensor associated with the air conditioner, the operational mode sensor comprising:
• a current sensor for outputting a signal related to a measure of power drawn by the discrete air conditioner unit;
• a signal conditioning circuit coupled to the current sensor, the signal conditioning circuit for conditioning the signal received from the current sensor;
• a comparator coupled to the signal conditioning circuit, the comparator for comparing the conditioned signal to a specified threshold associated with an ON condition of the discrete air conditioner unit;
• and
• a wireless interface configured to communicate a determination of whether the discrete air conditioner unit is ON or OFF based on a result determined by the comparator;
• and
• wherein the discrete air conditioner controller confirms whether the discrete air conditioner unit received the commands from the discrete air conditioner controller based at least in part on the determination of whether the discrete air conditioner unit is ON or OFF.

A method of confirming that one or more commands that were wirelessly sent to a building component of a building were received and implemented, wherein the building component is configured to receive the one or more commands from a remote control unit but is incapable of transmitting confirmation that the one or more commands were received and implemented in response receiving the one or more commands from the remote control unit, the method comprising:

• wirelessly sending the one or more commands to the building component of the building, the one or more commands configured to change an operational mode of the building component to a predetermined operational mode;
• sensing a measure of power consumed by the building component;
• comparing the measure of power consumed by the building component to a specified threshold associated with the predetermined operational mode of the building component, and based on the comparison, determining whether the building component is in the predetermined operational mode;
• wirelessly sending one or more messages that indicate whether the building component is in the predetermined operational mode;
• and
• confirming that the one or more commands were received and implemented by the building component with the building component in the predetermined operational mode, and using the confirmation in subsequently controlling the building component.