An integrated control-oriented modelling for HVAC performance benchmarking

Energy efficiency in building heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment requires the development of accurate models for testing HVAC control strategies and corresponding energy consumption. In order to make the HVAC control synthesis computationally affordable, such control-oriented models are typically a simplified version of more elaborate building simulation environments (e.g. EnergyPlus, Modelica, TRNSYS). Despite their simplicity, control-oriented models must effectively catch all the interactions between HVAC equipment, in order achieve system integration and avoid fragmentation in HVAC modelling and control synthesis, which is one of the main causes of suboptimal performance in the building sector. In this work we propose an integrated control-oriented modelling for HVAC performance benchmarking. The following HVAC equipment and their interaction are modelled: condensing boiler, radiator, air handling unit, heat pump, chiller, fan, pump, pipe, duct, and multiple thermal zones. The proposed modelling approach is modular so that the user can add and remove as many components as desired, depending on the building to be modelled. Appropriate procedures for synthesis of control strategies and benchmarking are proposed. Extensive simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, which can lead to improvements in occupants' thermal comfort while at the same time consistently attaining energy savings. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.