Reduced-order energy modeling for advanced setpoint controls of residential buildings with time-of-use rates

Abstract

In the United States, approximately 40% of energy is consumed by commercial and residential buildings, primarily attributed to a building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. During periods of extreme temperatures, these cooling systems are pushed to their limits and components of the grid system are stressed. This can result in grid system instability, lead to potential health concerns for building occupants, and result in higher energy costs for utilities and building owners. One solution to address this problem is implementing variable electric rates with the use of energy management strategies such as incentivized demand-response (DR) programs and load shifting to control AC units or large appliances. Variable electric rate programs often address the energy demands of commercial and industrial buildings; however, there is increased interest in curtailing the electricity use in the residential sector via the same methods. Key topics of interest regarding load-shifting in residential homes include accurate models to predict costs and electricity use, and the use of advanced controls of temperature setpoints under variable electric rates. Presented in this thesis are (i) an analysis of grey-box and black-box reduced-order models for cooling load predictions of two residential homes; and (ii) a demonstration of the impacts of time-of-use (TOU) rates applied to residential homes using an MPC. Of the two models presented, the black-box model is better suited for application to the MPC. The studies also demonstrate that the electricity rate greatly impacts the benefits of an MPC, both from a consumer cost-savings perspective and in its ability to shift AC electricity.