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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial and institutional facilities face high peak demand charges that can exceed half of their electrical power bills, necessitating strategies to reduce peak electrical demand without requiring direct control over HVAC systems, which often require specialized expertise.
Innovation Solution
A method is developed to generate a policy that temporarily changes temperature set points of HVAC systems during pre-cooling, drift, and curtailment periods to manage peak electrical demand, allowing building owners to reduce peak electrical demand without complex control over HVAC components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If direct control over HVAC compressors and equipment is implemented to reduce peak electrical demand, then peak demand reduction capability is improved, but system complexity and expertise requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary optimization engine that generates setpoint adjustments for HVAC systems. This intermediary component allows peak demand reduction without requiring building operators to directly control complex HVAC equipment, thus reducing the perceived complexity while achieving energy loss reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The HVAC system is enabled to self-regulate its operation through dynamically adjusted setpoints generated by the optimization engine. The system automatically responds to predicted peak demand conditions by pre-cooling spaces and adjusting temperatures, eliminating the need for manual intervention or specialized expertise.
2Loss of energy
If HVAC set points are frequently adjusted to manage peak demand, then electrical cost is reduced, but system stability and comfort consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The optimization engine performs preliminary actions by pre-cooling spaces before predicted peak demand periods. This allows the system to reduce temperatures in advance, then raise them during peak periods without compromising comfort, thereby managing electrical costs while maintaining temperature stability through proactive rather than reactive adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for reducing peak electrical demand of a building includes generating a baseline electrical demand profile over a target time period from a model. The baseline electrical demand profile can be used to define a policy including a peak management period having at least a first sub-period and a subsequent second sub-period, the first sub-period having a first temperature set point for at least one air handling system of the building that is different from a normal operating temperature set point, the second sub-period having a second temperature set point different from both the normal operating temperature set point and the first temperature set point, and implementing the policy. The model can be generated from one or more of historical electrical data for the building, weather forecast data, building and equipment operating schedules, sales data, and data based on information received from a video camera located in the building.