System and method for crowd-sourced environmental system control and maintenance

A non-transitory computer implemented system in a client-server environment, for crowd-sourced real-time, site-specific environmental reporting, the system comprising a computer server system having at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer server system to perform processes comprising:

• maintaining, in at least one memory, a floor plan of a building, the floor plan including a plurality of zones;
• providing selective access to users via one or more client computers, each client computer running a smart device application communicably coupled to the computer server system via a wireless computer communication system;
• receiving, from at least one environmental control system, temperature information and energy consumption information relative to at least one zone of the building;
• receiving, from each of a number of users via the smart device application of one or more client computers, user location information identifying a location of the user within the building;
• receiving, from each of a number of users via the smart device application of one or more client computers, user comfort information relating to a temperature at the location of the user within the building, wherein the user comfort information comprises at least one of a user report regarding temperature at a user location, a user request for a temperature change at the user location, or user feedback regarding temperature changes at the user location;
• correlating the user location information, the user comfort information, the temperature information, and the energy consumption information with the floor plan to determine occupancy of a given zone and to produce a zone rating for the given zone, wherein the zone rating relates to energy efficiency of the given zone;
• and
• communicating the zone rating to at least one occupant of the given zone via the smart device application of one or more client computers.

A non-transitory computer implemented method in a client-server environment, for crowd-sourced real-time, site-specific environmental reporting, the method comprising:

• maintaining, in at least one memory, a floor plan of a building, the floor plan including a plurality of zones;
• providing, by a computer server system having at least one processor, selective access to users via one or more client computers, each client computer running a smart device application communicably coupled to the computer server system via a wireless computer communication system;
• receiving, by the computer server system from at least one environmental control system, temperature information and energy consumption information relative to at least one zone of the building;
• receiving, by the computer server system from each of a number of users via the smart device application of one or more client computers, user location information identifying a location of the user within the building;
• receiving, by the computer server system from each of a number of users via the smart device application of one or more client computers, user comfort information relating to a temperature at the location of the user within the building, wherein the user comfort information comprises at least one of a user report regarding temperature at a user location, a user request for a temperature change at the user location, or user feedback regarding temperature changes at the user location;
• correlating, by the computer server system, the user location information, the user comfort information, the temperature information, and the energy consumption information with the floor plan to determine occupancy of a given zone and to produce a zone rating for the given zone, wherein the zone rating relates to energy efficiency of the given zone;
• and
• communicating, by the computer server system, the zone rating to at least one occupant of the given zone via the smart device application of one or more client computers.

A computer program product comprising at least one tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied therein computer program instructions for crowd-sourced real-time, site-specific environmental reporting which, when executed by at least one processor of a computer server system, cause the computer server system to perform processes comprising:

• maintaining, in at least one memory, a floor plan of a building, the floor plan including a plurality of zones;
• providing selective access to users via one or more client computers, each client computer running a smart device application communicably coupled to the computer server system via a wireless computer communication system;
• receiving, from at least one environmental control system, temperature information and energy consumption information relative to at least one zone of the building;
• receiving, from each of a number of users via the smart device application of one or more client computers, user location information identifying a location of the user within the building;
• receiving, from each of a number of users via the smart device application of one or more client computers, user comfort information relating to a temperature at the location of the user within the building, wherein the user comfort information comprises at least one of a user report regarding temperature at a user location, a user request for a temperature change at the user location, or user feedback regarding temperature changes at the user location;
• correlating the user location information, the user comfort information, the temperature information, and the energy consumption information with the floor plan to determine occupancy of a given zone and to produce a zone rating for the given zone, wherein the zone rating relates to energy efficiency of the given zone;
• and
• communicating the zone rating to at least one occupant of the given zone via the smart device application of one or more client computers.