Optimal Control Method for HVAC Systems in Offices with a Control Algorithm Based on Thermal Environment

Won-Hwa Hong,Sung-Kyung Kim,Jung-Ha Hwang,Myung-Sup Jung,Yong-Seo Park

doi:10.3390/buildings10050095

Won-Hwa Hong, Sung-Kyung Kim + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10050095

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Journal: Buildings	Publication Date: May 21, 2020
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Kyungpook National University

Abstract

This study examined a method to reduce energy consumption in office buildings. Correspondingly, an optimal control method was proposed for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems via two control algorithms that considered the indoor thermal environment. The control algorithms were developed by considering temperature and humidity as the factors of the indoor thermal environment that influence the control of HVAC systems and the predicted mean vote comfort ranges. Furthermore, an experiment was performed using office equipment that incorporated the two control algorithms for HVAC systems, and the correlation between changes in the thermal environment within the office and the occupant’s comfort levels was estimated via an actual survey. The results demonstrated that the proposed control method for HVAC systems, which considered the comfort ranges of temperature and humidity and the thermal adaptation capability, can efficiently maintain the occupant’s comfort with lower energy usage compared with conventional HVAC systems. Thus, the use of the control method contributes to the reduction of total energy consumption in buildings with HVAC systems.

Highlights

Total greenhouse gas emissions of buildings are responsible for 40–50% of the total global carbon dioxide emissions [1,2,3]
This study proposes an optimal control method for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to efficiently reduce the energy consumption in offices and enhance the occupants’ comfort
This study introduces the process of deriving the optimal control method for the existing HVAC

Summary

Introduction

Total greenhouse gas emissions of buildings are responsible for 40–50% of the total global carbon dioxide emissions [1,2,3]. To address the problem of excessive energy consumption, different governments including that of South Korea have announced measures to regulate the usage of cooling and heating devices in offices to conserve energy. These regulations may reduce the occupants’ comfort and the productivity of workers [8]. A study on the correlation between the thermal environment of offices and the working efficiency of occupants [9,10,11,12] demonstrated that the thermal environment (44.1%)

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