Socially Driven HVAC Optimization Federal Building and US Courthouse Phoenix, Arizona

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2587247· OSTI ID:2587247

Howett, Dan ^[1]; Rizy, Colleen G. ^[1]; Wolfe, Amy K. ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Under many circumstances in facilities management, keeping occupants comfortable and saving energy are diametrically opposed. To stay cool in summer and warm in winter requires energy to maintain indoor temperatures. If energy is saved by allowing indoor temperatures to get warmer in the summer or colder in winter, occupants’ comfort levels decrease. There is great potential to reduce costs and maintain occupant comfort if a system existed that could break this diametric opposition. The comfort of building occupants in today’s facilities is controlled by maintaining a given space temperature through the use of a thermostat. These devices operate in a very simple manner in which they are set to maintain a certain constant space temperature range. If the occupant is too hot or cold, he or she writes a work order for facility maintenance staff to adjust the thermostat to a new constant temperature range. This feedback cycle is repeated as needed to avoid generating complaints of too hot/cold from the occupants. This system has two areas in which it can be improved. First, there is the labor cost associated with a facilities maintenance person having to respond to each request when an occupant is uncomfortable. Person-hours are spent receiving the work order and adjusting space thermostats to a level that, hopefully, will allow the occupant to be comfortable. Second, the space temperature is maintained within a constant range, with no effort being made to finetune the space temperature to a setting that conserves energy while maintaining occupant comfort. Occupant comfort is based upon many more factors than just the space temperature. When other factors are taken into account, there is potential to save energy while maintaining that comfort level.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Federal Energy Management Program Office; US General Services Administration
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 2587247
• Report Number(s): DOE-GSA--4412
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION