The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for predicting the temporal course of a power requirement in a housing development comprising one or a plurality of housing units each comprising a plurality of power consumers, the housing development having a common power supply that is subject to a temporally variable tariff. The method is designed such that a prediction of the power consumption (404) of the housing development (201) for a future time period having a specified duration T is made and continuously updated, it being possible for a load transfer for reducing the power costs to be determined on the basis of a current prediction of the power consumption (404), each prediction of the power consumption (404) using data of detected load profiles (402) of the housing development (202) that are formed by detecting the temporal course of the overall power consumption of the housing development in the time period having the specified duration T, a current prediction (404) for the future time period having the specified duration T being calculated on the basis of a previous prediction (401) and data of a previously detected load profile (402), and the predictions and the detected load profiles being assigned, as a set of characteristic variables (406), one or more characteristic variables (305, 306, 307), the predictions of which are at least approximately known and which have an influence on the load profiles, and a current prediction (404) for the future time period having the specified duration T being calculated on the basis of a previous prediction (401) having the same set of characteristic variables (406) and on the basis of a previously detected load profile (402) having the same set of characteristic variables (406).
Please help me write a proper abstract based on the patent claims. CLAIM: 1. Method for predicting the temporal course of a power requirement in a housing development comprising one or a plurality of housing units each comprising a plurality of power consumers, wherein the housing development has a common power supply that is subject to a temporally variable tariff, wherein a prediction of the power consumption of the housing development for a future time period having a specified duration is made and continuously updated, wherein a load transfer for reducing the power costs can be determined on the basis of a current prediction of the power consumption, wherein each prediction of the power consumption uses data of detected load profiles of the housing development that are formed by detecting the temporal course of the overall power consumption of the housing development in the time period having the specified duration, wherein a current prediction for the future time period having the specified duration is calculated on the basis of a previous prediction and data of a previously detected load profile, wherein the predictions and the detected load profiles are assigned, as a set of characteristic variables one or more characteristic variables the predictions of which are at least approximately known and which have an influence on the load profiles, and a current prediction for the future time period having the specified duration is calculated on the basis of a previous prediction having the same set of characteristic variables and on the basis of a previously detected load profile having the same set of characteristic variables. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the common power supply is subject to a mixed tariff that comprises different tariff components corresponding to different power supply components. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that the previous prediction is a most recently made prediction for the set of characteristic variables, and the previous load profile is a most recently detected load profile for the set of characteristic variables. 4. Method according to claim 3, characterised in that the current prediction for the future time period having the specified duration is calculated in that the previous prediction and the data of the previously detected load profile are weighted, in particularly variably weighted, and added together. 5. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that daily load profiles of the housing development are detected and are used as a typical-day characteristic variable, as defined for example by VDI 4655. 6. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that a characteristic derived from the outside temperature is used as the characteristic variable. 7. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that a characteristic derived from the number of people living in the housing development is used as a characteristic variable. 8. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that a number derived from a non-electrical measurement or consumption value of the housing development is used as a characteristic variable. 9. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that the characteristic variable is derived from the temporal courses of the water consumption and/or the heat consumption of the housing development. 10. Method according to claim 2, characterised in that a characteristic variable is derived from temperatures in the housing units of the housing development. 11. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that a separate prediction is made for the power required for generating the heat energy. 12. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the current prediction for the future time period having the specified duration and/or the data of the previously detected load profile are displayed and/or are used for connecting one or more power consumers in such a way that the lowest possible power costs are incurred. 13. A computer program to be executed by a computer processor comprising program statements, wherein the program statements cause a processor to carry out the method according to claim 1 when the computer program is executed by the computer processor. 14. Apparatus for predicting the temporal course of a power requirement in a housing development comprising one or a plurality of housing units each comprising a plurality of power consumers, wherein the housing development has a common power supply that is subject to a temporally variable tariff; a device for making and continuously updating a prediction of the power consumption of the housing development for a future time period having a specified duration, wherein a load transfer for reducing the power costs can be determined on the basis of a current prediction of the power consumption, wherein the device is designed such that it uses each prediction of the power consumption data of detected load profiles of the housing development (202) that are formed by detecting the temporal course of the overall power consumption of the housing development in the time period having the specified duration, and calculates a current prediction for the future time period having the specified duration on the basis of a previous prediction and data of a previously detected load profile, and wherein the device is designed such that it assigns to the predictions and the detected load profiles, as a set of characteristic variables, one or more characteristic variables, the predictions of which are at least approximately known and which have an influence on the load profiles, and calculates a current prediction for the future time period having the specified duration on the basis of a previous prediction having the same set of characteristic variables and on the basis of a previously detected load profile having the same set of characteristic variables. 15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the device is designed such that it displays the current prediction for the future time period having the specified duration and/or the data of the previously detected load profile, and/or uses said prediction and/or data for connecting one or more power consumers in such a way that the lowest possible power costs are incurred.