Methods for a smart thermostat to estimate the characteristics of a house based on sensor data

Smart thermostats can play an important role in achieving more economic energy usage in domestic situations. This paper focuses on the energy used for natural gas-based heating, and monitoring of gas usages versus indoor and outdoor temperatures over time. Two methods are presented that enable the smart thermostat to learn, over time, characteristics of the house such as heat loss rate and heat capacity. Through this, the thermostat can make some homeowners aware, for example, that there is room for improvement in insulation of the house. The presented methods are able to deal with sensor data with varying extents of imperfection concerning their completeness. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.