Apparatus for monitoring and controlling consumer power consumption

An apparatus for monitoring and controlling the electrical power consumption of an electrical power consuming system connected to a source of electrical power, comprising:

• means inserted in series between said power source and said system for measuring instantaneous power consumption of said system;
• clocking means for providing clock pulses at a plurality of predetermined time intervals;
• first computing means coupled to said measuring means and said clocking means for computing total power consumption over a first time period;
• second computing means coupled to said clocking means and said first computing means for computing actual rate of power consumption over a second predetermined time period smaller than said first time period;
• first programming means for externally programming said apparatus with a target rate of power consumption;
• means coupled to said second computing means and said programming means for comparing said actual rate to said target rate and producing a first signal indicative of the difference therebetween and a second signal indicative of when said actual rate exceeds said target rate;
• first display means for displaying said first and second signals, said actual and target rates, and said total power consumption;
• means for generating a signal indicative of peak integrated power consumption of said monitored system over a third time period smaller than said first time period;
• a memory connected to said generating means for storing said peak integrated power consumption signal and a signal indicative of the time of occurrence thereof;
• and
• means for displaying a stored peak integrated power consumption signal and the time of occurrence associated therewith;
• wherein said means for generating a signal indicative of peak integrated power consumption comprises,
• third computing means coupled to said clocking means and said first computing means for successively generating an output signal corresponding to the total power consumption in each of a plurality of successive predetermined fourth time periods, where each fourth time period is an integral fraction of said third time period,
• summing means coupled to said third computing means for successively forming a sum signal indicative of the sum of a plurality of consecutive of said successive total power consumption output signals of said third computing means, said sum signal equal to the integrated power consumption over said third time period, and
• comparator means coupled to said memory and to said summing means for comparing the peak integrated power consumption signal stored in said memory with each sum signal formed by said summing means and for replacing the stored peak integration power consumption signal and the time of occurrence thereof stored in said memory with a sum signal, and the time of occurrence thereof, respectively, whenever said sum signal exceeds the stored integrated power consumption signal.