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Author
Park, C.
Title
Optimum Start/Stop Control Algorithm for Heating and Cooling Systems in Buildings.
Coporate
National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
Sponsor
Department of Energy, Washington, DC Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Fort Hueneme, CA
Report
NBSIR 83-2720, June 1983,
Distribution
Available from National Technical Information Service
Keywords
buildings; heating; cooling; optimization; algorithms; control theory; computer programs
Abstract
When a building structure is occupied intermittently, energy savings can be realized from the optimal start-up and shut-down of the heating or cooling system. This strategy, known as optimum start/stop control, reduces energy consumption by delaying the start-up of the space conditioning system until the last moment and then initiating shut-down as early as possible, while maintaining a present level of comfort during the period of building occupancy. Based on the bang-bang control theory, a simple optimum start/stop control algorithm is developed for computerized control systems in buildings. The optimum start time is obtained by finding the intersection of cool-down and heat-up curves that are approximated by exponential fitting of the previous and current day's data.