Local operating networks technology aiming to improve building energy management system performance satisfying the users preferences

Abstract

The available Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS), although they contribute to a significant reduction of energy consumption and improvement of the indoor environment, they can only be implemented in new buildings. Their installation in existing buildings is far from being cost effective due to the incompatibility of communication protocols between BEMS designed by various manufacturers and unavoidable modifications for data transmission. On the other hand, current research for energy efficient buildings has proved that although the design and the facilities including BEMS aim to satisfy the thermal and visual comfort plus the air quality demands while minimising the energy needs, they often do not reach their goals due to users interference. Latest trends in designing Intelligent Building Energy Management Systems (IBEMS) offer a Man Machine Interface that could store the users preferences and adapt the control strategy accordingly. The objectives of the present paper are to present the advantages of the use of a man machine interface based on a smart card terminal together with fuzzy control techniques in satisfying the users preferences plus to underline the capabilities that the LON network offers to the design. A fuzzy PID controller is developed to reach the first of the above objectives. The monitoring of the energy consumption along with satisfying the users preferences is achieved by the use of a suitable cost function for the whole system. All the above parameters as well as the cost function are kept between acceptable limits. The overall control system including the cost function is modeled and tested using MATLAB/SIMULINK. The implementation of the control system in an existing building requires interconnection of sensors and actuators installed across the building, is well served by the LonWorks technology due to its high standards and flexibility features.