# US 2013/0158735 A1 · Method for switching to a more favorable consumption tariff for a domestic appliance, and domestic appliance suitable for said method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0158735 A1 - Document ID: US20130158735A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/817,830 - Filed: 2011-08-17 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2010-09-06 - Assignees: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerate GmbH - Inventors: Claudia Häpp; Jürgen Riesmeyer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130158735A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0283: Price estimation or determination - G06F 1/26: Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) - G06Q 50/06: Energy or water supply - H02J 3/0075: {for providing alternative feeding paths between load and source according to economic or energy efficiency considerations, e.g. economic dispatch} - H02J 3/14: by switching loads on to, or off from, the networks, e.g. progressively balanced loading - H02J 3/381: {Dispersed generators} - H02J 2101/10: Dispersed power generation using fossil fuels, e.g. diesel generators - H02J 2101/24: Photovoltaics - H02J 2105/42: Home appliances - H02J 2105/55: according to an economic condition, e.g. tariff-based load management - Y02B 10/10: Photovoltaic [PV] - Y02B 70/30: Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level - Y02B 70/3225: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y02E 10/56: Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers - Y04S 20/222: Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving - Y04S 20/242: Home appliances - Y04S 50/10: Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid - Y04S 50/14: Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A method and a switching device for selectively operating a domestic appliance on a public mains grid of a public utility company and a decentralized mains grid associated with the building in which the at least one domestic appliance is operated. The decentralized mains grid can feed power to the public mains grid at a feed tariff. The domestic appliance is powered either from the public mains grid or from the decentralized mains grid depending on a comparison between the tariff from the public mains grid with the feed tariff, wherein the mains grid having a sustained lower consumption tariff than the other mains grid is selected. A domestic appliance having the switching device for selectively connection to a public mains grid and to a decentralized mains grid is also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-9. (canceled) ### Claim 10 A method for operating at least one domestic appliance on an electric grid selected from at least two electric mains grids, wherein each mains grid comprises information relating to a consumption tariff being associated with the respective mains grid, wherein a first of the at least two mains grids is a public mains grid of a public utility company using smart metering with currently available tariff information and a second of the at least two mains grids is a decentralized mains grid associated with a building in which the at least one domestic appliance is operated, wherein the second mains grid is configured to feed electric power into the at least one public mains grid at a feed-in tariff, the method comprising the steps of: comparing the currently available tariff information with the feed-in tariff, and selecting a mains grid for supplying power to the at least one domestic appliance from the first and second mains grids based whether the first mains grid or the second mains grid has a sustainably lower consumption tariff. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of: analyzing the information relating to the consumption tariffs, comparing the information relating to the consumption tariffs over a predetermined integration period, and switching from the first mains grid to the second mains grid, or vice versa, only when the comparison shows that one of the first or second mains grids has a more favorable tariff than the other of the second or first main grids. ### Claim 12 A domestic appliance having a power connection to a public mains grid and to a decentralized mains grid, the domestic appliance comprising a switching device including: an electrical connection to both the public mains grid and the decentralized mains grid, a changeover switch, which in a first switching position establishes a connection to the public mains grid and in a second switching position establishes a connection to the decentralized mains grid, and an electronic controller having a power switching stage for actuating an electromagnetic linear drive for switching the changeover switch from the first switching position to the second switching position when an analysis of tariff information from the public mains grid compared with a feed-in tariff for feeding power from the decentralized mains grid into the public mains grid indicates that the tariff of the public mains grid is higher than the feed-in tariff for feeding power from the decentralized mains grid into the public mains grid. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The domestic appliance of claim 12, wherein the electronic controller initiates switching of the changeover switch from the second switching position to the first switching position when the analysis of tariff information from the public mains grid compared with the feed-in tariff for feeding power from the decentralized mains grid into the public mains grid indicates that the tariff of the public mains grid is lower than the feed-in tariff for feeding power from the decentralized mains grid into the public mains grid. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The domestic appliance of claim 12, wherein the electronic controller actuates the changeover switch only when the analysis of tariff information from the public mains grid compared with the feed-in tariff for feeding power from the decentralized mains grid into the public mains grid indicates that a difference between the tariff of the public mains grid and the feed-in tariff causing the changeover will be sustained over an extended integration time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The domestic appliance of claim 12, wherein the electronic controller actuates the changeover switch only when the analysis of tariff information from the public mains grid compared with the feed-in tariff for feeding power from the decentralized mains grid into the public mains grid indicates that the result of the comparison is supported by the monitoring of the tariff information from the public mains grid with a computer model. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The domestic appliance of claim 12, wherein the electronic controller initiates switching of the changeover switch to the first switching position when the decentralized power supply fails to supply electric power. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The domestic appliance of claim 12, further comprising a battery or a supercapacitor buffering a voltage supply to the electronic controller. ### Claim 18 A switching device gear having an electrical connection to both a public mains grid and a decentralized mains grid, comprising: a changeover switch, which in a first switching position establishes a connection to the public mains grid and in a second switching position establishes a connection to the decentralized mains grid, and an electronic controller having a power switching stage for actuating an electromagnetic linear drive for switching the changeover switch from the first switching position to the second switching position, when an analysis of tariff information from the public mains grid compared with a feed-in tariff for feeding power from the decentralized mains grid into the public mains grid indicates that the tariff of the public mains grid is higher than the feed-in tariff for feeding power from the decentralized mains grid into the public mains grid, said switching device being configured as a stand-alone switching device capable of switching at least one domestic appliance of a household from the public mains grid to the decentralized mains grid or from the decentralized mains grid to the public mains grid.