Cost-Effective Heating Control Approaches by Demand Response and Peak Demand Limiting in an Educational Office Building with District Heating

This study examined three different approaches to reduce the heating cost while maintaining indoor thermal comfort at acceptable levels in an educational office building, including decentralized (DDRC) and centralized demand response control (CDRR) and limiting peak demand. The results showed that although all these approaches did not affect the indoor air temperature significantly, the DDRC method could adjust the heating set point to between 20-24.5 degrees C. The DDRC approach reached heating cost savings of up to 5% while controlling space heating temperature without sacrificing the thermal comfort. The CDRC of space heating had limited potential in heating cost savings (1.5%), while the indoor air temperature was in the acceptable range. Both the DDRC and CDRC alternatives can keep the thermal comfort at good levels during the occupied time. Depending on the district heating provider, applying peak demand limiting of 35% can not only achieve 13.6% maximum total annual district heating cost saving but also maintain the thermal comfort level, while applying that of 43% can further save 16.9% of the cost, but with sacrificing a little thermal comfort. This study shows that demand response on heating energy only benefited from the decentralized control alternative, and the district heating-based peak demand limiting has significant potential for saving heating costs.

Automated summary

This study compared three approaches to reduce heating costs in an educational office building while maintaining thermal comfort. The decentralized control method achieved the highest cost savings (5%) by adjusting the heating set point, while both centralized control and peak demand limiting also showed potential for savings. Depending on the district heating provider, implementing peak demand limiting can achieve significant cost savings (up to 16.9%) with a slight sacrifice in thermal comfort. Overall, decentralized control and district heating-based demand limiting are effective strategies for reducing heating costs.