WO2018149817A1 - Computer-implemented method for saving energy - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile device, such as a smart phone, by means of which information about electronic appliances, particularly household electronic appliances, can be detected by means of a user interface and/or a sensor. Then, on the basis of the detected information, the energy consumption of the appliance or appliances detected can be determined and/or calculated by means of an internal and/or external control unit. The device can also comprise a database and/or be connected to a database in order to consult particularly additional information about the detected appliance or appliances for the determination of the energy consumption. The device can also comprise an output device by means of which, for example, the energy consumption and/or an appliance or appliances of the same type with reduced energy consumption can be displayed and/or a comparison between appliances can be displayed.

Description

 Computer-implemented method for energy saving

Description Field of the invention

The invention relates to a computer-implemented method for saving energy. Furthermore, the invention relates to a data processing device, a computer program product and a computer-readable medium.

Background of the invention

For detecting an energy or power consumption, for example in a private household, it is known from the prior art to use measuring devices. For example, one meter or multiple meters may be installed in a household to capture the power consumption of electronic devices. The disadvantage here is a comparatively high installation costs. Furthermore, it is disadvantageous that such measuring devices are often installable and / or operable only by a trained person, such as by a technician. If comparatively inexpensive devices are used, it has been shown that they sometimes have a high degree of inaccuracy. Thus, for example, a measurement of a power consumption in a household is cost-intensive, device-technically complex and often leads to inaccurate results.

Furthermore, it can be disadvantageous that the measurement of the power consumption of a device, for example in the form of a refrigerator, requires that the measuring device measure this power consumption over a long period of time, since the consumption is subject to considerable temporal fluctuations.

On the other hand, the object of the invention is to provide a computer-implemented method, a device for data processing, a computer program product and a computer-readable medium, with which / which in a simple manner Energy consumption, for example, a household or a commercial space, can be determined and / or lowered.

The object with regard to the computer-implemented method is achieved according to the features of claim 1, with regard to the data processing device according to the features of claim 10, with regard to the computer program product according to the features of claim 11 and with regard to the computer-readable medium according to the features of claim 12.

Other advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

According to the invention, a computer-implemented method is provided. This can include the following steps:

 - Capture at least one piece of information about at least one electronic device.

 The detection is preferably carried out via at least one user interface or user interface and / or via at least one sensor.

 Determining energy consumption and / or energy costs of the at least one device based on the at least one information. Alternatively or additionally, calculating the energy consumption and / or the energy costs of the at least one device can be provided based on the at least one information. The determination and / or the calculation preferably takes place by accessing a database.

 - Output of energy consumption and / or energy costs and / or at least one device of the same type with a lower energy consumption and / or with lower energy costs on an output device, such as on a screen or on a display. Alternatively or additionally, a transmission of the energy consumption and / or the energy costs and / or a device of the same type with a lower energy consumption and / or with lower energy costs to a person, for example via an electronic message, take place.

This solution has the advantage that a person with little effort, for example, can capture his electronic device in the form of a television and the process then, for example, a power consumption determined and / or calculated. The energy consumption can then be displayed to the person, or the person is presented with an alternative electronic device of the same type, for example another television, which has a lower energy consumption. According to the invention, the electronic device can be detected easily via the user interface and / or via the sensor. If, for example, the information acquired via the sensor is insufficient, additional information can be introduced via the user interface. Conversely, of course, it is also conceivable. Furthermore, if needed, the database can advantageously be accessed in order to determine further information regarding the detected device.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the following step or the following steps may be provided:

 - Capturing at least one piece of information about a household in which the at least one electronic device is provided. Alternatively or additionally, at least one piece of information about a commercial area can be detected with the at least one electronic device. This can be done, for example, via the user interface, in which a user enters information about the household.

 Alternatively or additionally, at least one piece of information about a person using the at least one electronic device can be acquired via the user interface and / or via the sensor.

 The determination and / or calculation explained above then preferably takes place on the basis of the additional information from at least one of said steps. Thus, in a simple manner, for example, the determination and / or the calculation of the energy consumption can be further improved and refined. For example, the number of people living in the household can be used to deduce the useful life of the electronic device.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a computing unit is used for calculating the energy consumption or power consumption and / or the energy costs of the at least one device. It is conceivable that the arithmetic unit for calculating the energy consumption and / or the energy costs, in particular statistically occupied, Average values, in particular via a database accesses. As a result, the calculation of, for example, energy consumption can be further improved.

Preferably, the arithmetic unit performs a rating. In this case, the determined and / or calculated energy consumption of the at least one device is then compared with at least one device or several devices of the same type, which are recorded in a database, in particular with regard to energy consumption. As a result, a device of the same type can be determined with a lower power consumption in a simple manner.

It is conceivable that the determination and / or the output and / or the transmission of at least one device of the same type with a lower energy consumption at certain time intervals and / or in certain events, such as an update of a corresponding database, are repeated. Thus, if necessary, a person using the method can be regularly informed about energy-saving potentials.

In a further embodiment of the invention it can be provided that the arithmetic unit for calculating and / or evaluating uses at least one mathematical model, in particular in the form of a regression model and / or in the form of a stochastic model. Thus, certain mathematical models can be used to make your own energy consumption calculations. Alternatively or additionally, energy consumptions indicated by the manufacturer and / or other sources may also be determined, for example by accessing a database. By using a mathematical model, however, advantageously not necessarily the manufacturer's information is necessary. If both, ie the consideration of the manufacturer's specification and the calculation with the mathematical model, this leads to extremely accurate results.

It has been shown that calculations with the mathematical model have a high accuracy and can even correspond to the real consumption. Regression models can be based on current data streams from different sources ("complex / big data"). Preferably, when calculating, in particular with the mathematical model, the energy consumption of an electronic device, for example in the form of a television, individual features such as age, type of image, screen size and many other characteristics can be taken into account, thereby improving the result. The statistical calculations and analyzes make it possible to determine the real consumption of almost all device types on the market, in which real consumption can be attributed, for example, to individual features as influencing factors. This may include even devices for which no real consumption, but only nominal consumption, for example, according to the data sheet of the manufacturer, available. Thus, even very old or exotic devices, for which no consumption data is available, can be detected, determined and / or calculated by the method, and compared. This is particularly attractive, since on the one hand, the real consumption of these devices are usually not known, on the other hand inherent in these very old devices usually the highest power savings in the household.

As already explained above, in addition to the at least one mathematical model, it is possible to determine the real consumption of devices that are not yet on the market at the appropriate time, ie for example televisions whose specifications and / or features are known, but which only available in the market in a few months. Through, for example, a closed stochastic modeling within the scope of a statistical and computer science method spectrum, a precise calculation can be made and continuously updated, in particular on the basis of "data monitoring", and improved, in particular due to "machine learning".

A respective mathematical model, in particular a respective regression model and / or a respective stochastic model, can be provided for a respective class of device types. For example, it is conceivable to provide a model for the class TV and a model for example for the class of refrigerators.

In the calculation, as already mentioned above, in particular by appropriate design of the at least one mathematical model, an, in particular approximated, real energy consumption based on the at least one formation, in particular based on equipment features of the corresponding device, are calculated.

The regression model and / or the stochastic model are preferably based on a self-learning algorithm.

The calculation and / or evaluation may preferably be updated at certain intervals and / or at certain events, for example when the database is being updated. As a result, a detected old device, for example, regularly be compared with new devices of the same type. The model used for the calculation and / or evaluation, in particular the stochastic model, can be implemented in the form of a self-learning algorithm. The calculation of real energy consumption can be independently improved with so-called test data, ie, for example, real measured energy consumption, the calculation then automatically optimized so that its calculated real energy consumption correspond to the actually occurring measured energy consumption. Thus, the algorithm can be designed as artificial intelligence (Kl).

Advantageously, a difference of the energy consumption and / or the energy costs between the detected electronic device and the determined device of the same type, which has a lower energy consumption, can be calculated and output. As a result, a person using the method can gain an improved impression, for example about energy consumption.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the time period is calculated in which the energy cost savings of the determined electronic device of the same type compared to the detected electronic device reaches the procurement costs of the determined device of the same type. Thus, the person using the method can learn when, for example, when buying a new device of the same type with lower energy consumption, he has, as it were, deposited or paid off the procurement costs due to the energy savings. So it is conceivable that the purchase and use of a new TV, for example, after one year cheaper than the continued use of the old television due to the energy savings. In a further embodiment of the invention, a database is provided in which the determined energy consumption and / or the calculated energy consumption and / or the calculated energy costs and / or the calculated energy costs and / or a part or all of the other recorded and / or calculated and / or evaluated information, as well as the results of it are stored. The database may further form, for example, a basis of an artificial neural network. Thus, a structured network can be recorded in the database, for example, from user information and / or household information and / or device information and / or device constellations and / or usage habits, the network being expandable especially by new users. Thus, as the number of users of the database increases, their size and quality may increase. For example, conclusions about relationships between user and usage structures can be drawn via the database. For example, an analysis of the database using methods such as Random Forests, Boosting, or Deep Learning allows, for example, the presence of different devices in a household to reveal different forms of complex dependencies that affect energy consumption This makes it possible to draw conclusions about household constellations or consumer behavior.

The at least one database is preferably provided on a server and / or on a device for processing the data carrying out the method. For example, the database can be accessed via the Internet or network.

It is also conceivable to use electronic devices in the determination and / or calculation and / or evaluation of databases of one or more market research institutes or on one or more databases of equipment features. Thus, after the detection of an electronic device during the determination and / or calculation and / or evaluation, further information relating to the at least one electronic device can be used in at least one further database.

As information or information that is collected or used in the determination and / or calculation and / or evaluation, it is Preferably, the information about a manufacturer and / or a model type and / or a date of manufacture or date of manufacture, such as year, month, day, time, and / or a size and / or Ausstattungsmerkmai, such as type of image representation such as tube, plasma or LED.

It is also conceivable as information or additional information, a size of the household and / or a living space and / or a size of a commercial space, such as an office space, in which or which or at least one electronic device is used to use. Preferably, a demographic structure of a household and / or a company and / or an office can be used as information. Thus, the use of the at least one detected electronic device can be determined depending on the demographic structure of the household. An appropriate model can then be designed, which is additionally based on up-to-date representative statistics, which are determined, for example, via a database of the Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung (GFK). Also conceivable is an age of one or more persons or of all persons who uses or uses the device or who lives / lives in the household or is staying in the office or company to detect the at least one device

uses / use. Furthermore, it is conceivable to consider a number of persons in a household under investigation or a commercial area to be examined. It may therefore be possible for the arithmetic unit to determine from the size and / or the age and / or the number, for example, a usage time of the at least one electronic device, for example via access to the database, and / or calculated. It is also conceivable to consider the price limit of a person with the possible purchase of a new device of the same type.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the user interface and / or the sensor is / are part of a mobile device, such as a smartphone or a portable computer or a touchscreen computer or data glasses. It is also conceivable that the user interface and / or the sensor are part of a stationary device, such as a desktop computer. The user interface can be used, for example, as a touch-sensitive screen, for example as a "touchscreen", and / or as a system for gesture recognition and / or as an input device. Device be formed. Alternatively or additionally, it is conceivable that the user interface is designed as a web browser. This can also be done on a stationary device. The sensor is, for example, a camera. In other words, the devices located in the household can be detected, for example, via a stationary device, for example via a desktop computer or via a stationary PC, and / or via a mobile device, in particular via the camera of the mobile device. In the case of the stationary device, it is then possible to select, for example, the device to be registered from a manufacturer and / or model list and / or from a manufacturer and / or model database, for example via the web browser.

Preferably, the electronic device is detected via a code, such as a bar code or smart code, and / or an information sign on the device. Alternatively or additionally conceivable is the detection or selection of the electronic device from a database by means of the user interface. In other words, for example in the case of poor accessibility of the information plate or nameplate, the electronic device can be selected from a list instead of the "scan function" by both a stationary device (for example a PC) and a mobile device (for example a smartphone) become.

In order for a user of the method to recognize the individual energy consumptions in a plurality of electronic devices, the respective energy consumption can be output separately for several devices.

For determining and / or calculating energy costs of the at least one device, it may be provided that this is based on energy costs stored in a database and / or empirical values and / or average values which may be stored in a database.

It is conceivable that energy costs and / or electricity providers are recorded with their energy prices via the user interface and / or via the at least one sensor and / or via a database. The acquisition via the database is preferably based on personal data of a person using the at least one device and / or a person who is registered via the user interface. For example, over the Database can be seen at which electricity provider the person is. This can be done by data entry of the customer and / or by resorting to databases with, in particular regional, averages.

In a further embodiment of the invention, in the output of the at least one determined alternative device additionally a hyperlink can be output, which links, for example, a virtual marketplace. Alternatively or additionally, a brand and / or a company can be issued to purchase the device, in particular for sale.

Advantageously, the at least one detected electronic device or a respective detected electronic device or a part of the detected electronic devices is assigned to his / her respective room in the household or commercial area. For example, the electronic device may be associated with a living room or a kitchen or a bathroom or a bedroom or an office. This assignment can then form a further information about the electronic device. The output of the consumption and / or the energy costs in a plurality of rooms can then be output for a respective room, in particular on a display, thus enabling a simpler detection of the energy consumption for the user. Thus, for example, it is conceivable to represent the respective space at least by an area on the display, wherein in three rooms then correspondingly three areas are provided.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the arithmetic unit can assign the rooms and / or the at least one electronic device or at least a part of the detected electronic devices of a certain class from at least two classes. A particular class may relate to energy consumption and / or energy costs. For example, a class can stand for a high and a class for low energy consumption and / or energy costs. Another class or classes can then be located between the high and low energy consumption. A class can thus stand for a certain frame of energy consumption and / or for a certain framework of energy costs. This makes it possible for the user to additionally receive the information about the class. leads to an even better overview of its energy consumption and / or its energy costs.

The output of the energy consumption and / or the energy cost of the detected electronic device or a respective detected electronic device may then preferably be made together with the information about the corresponding class. Further preferably, the information about the corresponding class can be made by a color representation. For example, it is conceivable that devices of the class with high energy consumption and / or high energy costs are displayed red, for example. Devices of the class with low energy consumption and / or low energy costs can then be displayed green, for example. Intermediate classes are displayed in yellow or in different yellow tones. It is also conceivable that the transitions between the colors can be fluid. The colors have the advantage that the user is encouraged in his decision to make his household more efficient. Thus, for example, devices that are very efficient based on the current state of the art can be highlighted in green. The color can then turn yellow via red into very inefficient devices. If the output of one or more rooms, they can be displayed in accordance with color. Thus, the user recognizes at first glance, where the biggest weaknesses are in his household. It has been shown that reds have a very unpleasant effect on the human psyche and are associated with stress and warning symbols, while green has a soothing effect. This effect can act as a catalyst for users' decision to fix vulnerabilities.

In a preferred embodiment, the user interface has a user interface where information can be entered. It is also conceivable that questions on the person and / or the household and / or the commercial space and / or the location of the household and / or the location of the commercial area are listed on the user interface and there is a possibility for the corresponding answer. Thus, additional information can be obtained in a simple manner. As a result, as an alternative or in addition to the model that takes into account the demographic structure of the households, additional answers to the questions that the user can easily answer can be taken into account in order to calculate the energy consumption and / or the energy costs. For the model, the concept of the machine Learning, which makes it possible to steadily improve the reliability with growing information, especially in the database.

It may further be provided to compare the energy consumption and / or the energy costs that are determined and / or calculated with those of other users. For example, a comparison can be made with the totality of the users and / or a comparison with users in similar or identical household constellations and / or with users from the same city or the same district. The resulting high comparability and opportunities for mutual exchange serve as another driver for the saving of electricity.

Furthermore, it is conceivable to provide a reward system for achievements achieved, such as percentage savings on the starting value, number of resolved weaknesses in the household, won games, placement in the ranking, in the form of, for example, A-wards or medals.

Preferably, it is additionally provided to use an ammeter in order to detect the energy consumption of one or more devices.

According to the invention, a system or a device for data processing is provided. This may include means for carrying out the method according to one or more of the preceding aspects. For example, it is conceivable as a means to provide a user interface and / or a sensor and / or a computing unit and / or a current measuring device and / or an output device.

According to the invention, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer by the program, cause it to execute the method according to one or more of the preceding aspects. The computer program product is, for example, an application of a mobile device, such as a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop or a mobile computer.

Furthermore, according to the invention, a computer-readable medium can be provided which comprises instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause it to To carry out the method according to one or more of the preceding aspects.

In the following the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to schematic drawings. Show it:

1 shows a schematic representation of a device according to an embodiment,

 FIG. 2 schematically shows a flowchart for a computer-implemented method according to an embodiment and

 Figures 3 to 6 each schematically an output on a display.

According to FIG. 1, a mobile device in the form of a smartphone 1 is shown. This has a display 2, which serves as a user interface or as a user interface and can also display information. Furthermore, the smartphone 1 optionally has a sensor in the form of a camera 4.

With the camera 4, a bar code and / or an information label from an electrical device 6, for example in the form of a television, are scanned. Alternatively or additionally, the required information of the electrical device 6 can also be transmitted by means of the display 2, for example by selecting the electrical device 6 from a database via the display 2. Based on this information, a control unit of the smartphone 1 and / or an external control unit 8 can then determine a power consumption of the electronic device 6. The control unit 8 is connected to the smartphone 1 via a network 10, which is shown in a simplified manner by a dashed line. The network 10 is, for example, the Internet. For the calculation of the energy consumption, the control unit 8 has a computing unit 12.

The information is, for example, information about the manufacturer, the type of model, the time of manufacture and equipment features, such as the device 6 is a TV with a plasma screen. In addition, via a database 14 further information about the device 6 can be obtained. The database 14 is via a network 16 with the Control unit 8 connected. It is conceivable that the energy consumption of the device 6 is already stored in the database 14. Alternatively or additionally, the energy consumption can be calculated from the information. The calculated and / or stored energy consumption is then displayed on the display 2 of the smartphone 1. In addition, it can be provided that the control unit 8 outputs on the display 2 a device of the same type, which has a lower energy consumption. Furthermore, it is conceivable that a possibility is then created on the display 2 that the user of the smartphone 1 can purchase the proposed device of the same type, such as a current television, for example.

In summary, it can be stated that the user detects a type plate of the television 6 by means of a scanning function of his smartphone 1. This results in the device-specific data, such as manufacturer, model, size and production time. The energy consumption of the television 6 depends on critical influencing factors such as the type of image representation, such as tube, plasma or LED, size and age. In addition, an annual consumption of the TV 6 is based on its hours of use. For example, a person watches about 240 minutes per day on average. This information can be taken from the database 14, for example. The exact consumption depends on the age of the person. In addition, this value is proportionally lower in a two-person household through more frequent sharing than in a single or three-person household with a teenage child. The user can communicate this data to the control unit 8, for example via his smartphone 1. Even without such an input, however, the user already receives an individualized analysis of the energy consumption of his TV 6, it is sufficient that he scans the said nameplate. In this way, those appliances can be located in the household with too high energy consumption and identified as such in the application. It is conceivable for the user to display graphically not only the respective energy consumption, but also the, in particular, annual, monetary savings potential by remedying the individual weak points in his household.

Referring to Figure 2, a flow of the computer-implemented method is shown. In a first step 18, at least one piece of information about the at least one electronic device 6, see FIG. 1, is detected via the display 2 or via the camera 4. In In a next step 20, the energy consumption of the device is determined on the basis of the at least one information with the addition of further information from the database 14, see FIG. 1. Additionally or alternatively, in the second step 20, the energy consumption can be calculated on the basis of the at least one information with the additional information from the database 14. In the next step 22, the result of the determinations and / or calculations is then output on the display 2, see FIG. 1. Furthermore, strategies for solving the problem can be offered in a following step.

FIG. 3 shows various representations 24, 26 and 28 of the display 2 from FIG. 1. With the representation 24 additional information about a household can be collected, in which the device 6 is arranged from Figure 1. Furthermore, information about the person using the device 6 or persons can be entered via the display 2.

Referring to Figure 3, in the illustration 26, an output is shown in which the detected device is cited with a device of the same type having a lower power consumption.

According to the illustration 28 in FIG. 3, there is likewise a comparison of the detected device 6 and a device with lower energy consumption. In addition, the cost savings per year are given. Furthermore, it is possible to purchase the proposed device via an electronic marketplace. It also shows when the purchase price of the new device is amortized by its energy savings.

According to FIG. 4, a further representation 30 of the display 2 can be seen. It can be seen that the household is presented in several areas. For example, a kitchen 32, a bedroom 34, a nursery 36, a living room 38, a bathroom 40, and other room 42 are shown. A respective space 32 to 42 is shown here as a colored area and characterized by an image and / or text as a corresponding space. For example, the kitchen 32 is marked in red, while the bedroom 34, the nursery 36 and the other room 42 are marked in green. The living room 38 is orange and the bathroom 40 yellow. The colors indicate conclusion, what is the determined and / or calculated energy consumption of the electronic devices in these rooms. For this purpose, it is indicated for a respective scanned or detected electronic device, in which space 32 to 42 it is arranged. The different colors then give an indication of whether the energy consumption, for example, red, is too high or is in a low range, green. The orange and yellow colors indicate intermediate ranges between too high and low energy consumption.

In other words, in the illustration 30 "My home", the rooms 32 to 42 are arranged with respect to their potential for savings, the rooms with the greatest savings potential being arranged at the top and those with the lower saving potential corresponding below the room 32 are selected, in which case the device (s) and their energy consumption / potential for saving is displayed, which is / are provided in this room.

According to FIG. 5, a further representation 44 of the display 2 is shown. Accordingly, an overview of the detected devices of a household is shown. Furthermore, the saving potential of a particular device is stated. In addition, a device is assigned a color between red and green. The color is an indication of the potential savings. Thus, for example, the lower three devices in Figure 5 are marked in green, while the upper left device is marked in red and thus has the greatest savings potential.

According to Figure 5, in other words, the household appliances used, as well as their consumption, shown in kWh, and / or their potential savings, shown in euros, which have the devices in the typical household use per year. It can be selected a respective device, in which case at least one device of the same type with lower consumption is given to this. It is also conceivable to propose three devices of the same type. One of the devices can have the greatest energy savings, the other device can provide the greatest savings in relation to the purchase price and the third device can be the cheapest in purchasing, which reduces consumption to an acceptable level. For each detected device, as already explained above, the data of the device of the same type can be compared. the. In addition to the consumption in kWh per year and / or the potential savings in euros per year, an additional representation of the consumption difference between the device detected and the device of the same type can be made, whereby a possible saving can be seen directly, the difference then again in kWh and / or Euro per year. On the other hand, as already explained above, the user can be informed when a possible new device of the same type is refinanced by the saving and the user begins to save money. In this way, the user can be made aware that investing in a particular device of the same type may be worthwhile, making a purchase much more likely. This presentation can then not only show the customer the benefits of the new purchase, but also enable him to purchase the more efficient device of the same type via linking to an online shop.

FIG. 6 shows a further representation 46 of the display 2. This shows a total power consumption per year of the recorded household. In addition, a comparison is made with other users throughout Germany, with regard to a specific city and with regard to a circle of friends. In other words, a so-called "gamification" can be seen in accordance with Figure 6. This has two functions: On the one hand, high user activity can be achieved, and on the other hand, a competition and direct comparison between several users has the effect that their motivation, According to presentation 46, the user is offered the opportunity to measure himself compared to a totality Furthermore, it would be conceivable, for example, to make a comparison with users in a similar household constellation or, for example, the same district High comparability as well as possibilities for mutual exchange serve as further drivers for the saving of electricity.At further it is conceivable, to create a reward system for achieved successes.Furthermore it is conceivable, that for information of the user a consideration is brought - for example it is conceivable , if a user additionally uses an ammeter that gains these benefits.

Disclosed is a mobile device, such as a smartphone, via which information from electronic devices, in particular a household, via a user interface and / or via a sensor can be detected. About an internal and / or external control unit can then be determined and / or calculated on the basis of the detected information, a power consumption of the detected device or the detected devices. In this case, the device may additionally have a database and / or be connected to a database, in particular to use additional information regarding the detected device or the detected devices for determining the energy consumption. Furthermore, the device may have an output device via which, for example, the energy consumption and / or a device of the same type or devices of the same type can be displayed with lower energy consumption and / or a comparison between devices can be displayed.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 smartphone

 2 display

4 camera

 6 electronic device

 8 control unit

 10 network

 12 arithmetic unit

 14 database

 16 network

 18, 20, 22 step

 24, 26, 28, 30, 44, 46 illustration

32 - 42 various rooms of a household

Claims

Claims: 1 . Computer-implemented method, comprising the steps: Detecting at least one piece of information about at least one electronic device via at least one user interface (2) and / or via at least one sensor (4); Determining an energy consumption and / or energy costs of the at least one device (6) on the basis of the at least one information, and / or determining a device of the same type with a lower energy consumption and / or lower energy costs from a database (14), and / or calculating the energy consumption and / or the energy costs of the at least one device (6) on the basis of the at least one information; - Output of energy consumption and / or energy costs and / or at least one device of the same type with a lower energy consumption and / or lower energy costs on an output device (2), and / or transmission of energy consumption and / or energy costs and / or a device same type with a lower energy consumption and / or lower energy costs to a person. 2. The method of claim 1, with the additional step:  Acquiring at least one piece of information about a household with the at least one electronic device (6) and / or at least one piece of information about a commercial area with the at least one electronic device (6) via the user interface (2) and / or via the sensor (4) , and / or detecting at least one piece of information about a person using the at least one electronic device (6) via the user interface (2) and / or via the sensor (4). 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an arithmetic unit (12) is provided, which carries out a valuation, in which the determined and / or calculated energy consumption of the at least one device (6) with devices of the same type, which ner database (14) are detected is compared and at least one device of the same type is determined with a lower power consumption. Method according to Claim 3, wherein at least one model, in particular a regression model and / or at least one stochastic model, is used for the arithmetic and logic unit (12) for calculating and / or evaluating. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the determined and / or calculated energy consumption and / or a part or all other detected and / or calculated and / or evaluated information is / are stored in one or the database (14). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein as information a manufacturer and / or a model type and / or a production time and / or a size and / or at least one equipment feature of the device (6) is / are provided. Method according to one of claims 2 to 6, wherein as information a size of the household or commercial space in which or at least one electronic device (6) is used, is provided, and / or wherein as information a demographic structure of the household or the commercial space is provided, and / or where the information is an age of at least one person living in the household or on the business premises, and / or where as information a number of persons working in the household under investigation or are provided for the examined commercial area is used. Method according to one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the at least one detected electronic device or a respective detected electronic device or a part of the detected electronic devices associated with their respective space in the household or the commercial space / is / are. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the arithmetic unit, the rooms and / or the at least one electronic device (6) or at least assigns a portion of the detected electronic devices of a particular class from at least two classes, the classes relating to energy consumption and / or energy costs. 10. A data processing apparatus comprising means (2, 4, 10, 8, 12, 16, 14) for carrying out the method according to one of the preceding claims. 1 1. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer by the program, cause it to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause it to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.