Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the interactions between the thermal factors in existing thermal control methods and to find out the control logic that can create more comfortable thermal conditions. For it, four thermal control logics were developed：conventional temperature-based control; temperature-based and humidity-based control; PMV-based control; and TS-based control. Their performance was comparatively tested in the U.S. typical 5-story office building in two climate zones (Detroit, Michigan and Miami, Florida) for two seasons (winter and summer) incorporating IBPT (International Building Physics Toolbox) and Matlab/Simulink. Analysis on the thermal conditions and energy efficiency revealed that each control logic created comfortable conditions for their respective target, i.e., temperature, humidity, PMV or TS, but uncomfortable for others (e.g., temperature-based control logic maintained PMV or TS uncomfortably or vise versa). In addition, energy efficiency was significantly different by logics. In conclusion, it can be said that the overall thermal comfort can be improved by the adoption of the PMV and TS as a target variable and their economical benefits are expected in the hotter climate zones with the reduced cooling and dehumidifying energy consumptions.
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