Heating optimal control applied to a passive solar commercial building

Passive solar features can lead to significant energy savings for
building heating. However the intrinsic delay between solar gains and heating
demand requires an intelligent control of auxiliary HVAC system to minimise the
energy consumption while preventing overheating periods. This paper describes the
application of discrete-time optimal control to auxiliary heating of a passive solar
commercial building. Simulation-based results using complex reference models are
presented and discussed. The optimal controller is compared to classical "heatingcurve
+ Thermostatic valve" control. It is shown that optimal control can lead to
substantial improvement of thermal comfort and energy consumption.