Advanced fuzzy logic controllers design and evaluation for buildings’ occupants thermal–visual comfort and indoor air quality satisfaction

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present and evaluate control strategies for adjustment and preservation of air quality, thermal and visual comfort for buildings’ occupants while, simultaneously, energy consumption reduction is achieved. Fuzzy PID, fuzzy PD and adaptive fuzzy PD control methods are applied. The inputs to any controller are: the PMV index affecting thermal comfort, the CO2 concentration affecting indoor air quality and the illuminance level affecting visual comfort. The adaptive fuzzy PD controller adapts the inputs and outputs scaling factors and is based on a second order reference model. More specifically, the scaling factors are modified according to a sigmoid type function, in such a way that the measured variable to be as closer as possible to the reference model. The adaptive fuzzy PD controller is compared to a non-adaptive fuzzy PD and to an ON–OFF one. The comparison criteria are the energy required and the controlled variables response. Both, energy consumption and variables responses are improved if the adaptive fuzzy PD type controller is used. The buildings’ response to the control signals has been simulated using MATLAB/SIMULINK.