Applications of MPC to Building HVAC Systems

Abstract

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings are an emerging application area for model predictive control (MPC) due to the significant cost benefits that can be achieved via load shifting in modern electricity markets. In this paper, we discuss some of the opportunities and challenges associated with applying MPC to commercial HVAC systems. After defining the control problem, a decomposition of the centralized MPC is presented and demonstrated for an example system. Recent work at the Stanford University campus is also highlighted to show these ideas in practice, and an outlook for the field is given.