Building and HVAC optimal control simulation. Application to an office building.

This paper describes the methodology to apply discrete-time optimal control to a building and its HVAC
installation. Simulation-based results concerning a passive solar commercial building are presented and
discussed. The simulation environment includes the TRNSYS TYPE 56 as reference building model and
HVAC detailed models to test the controller with realistic control signals. The optimal controller's sensitivity
to meteorological forecasting quality and to other factors is analysed. Its performance is compared to results
obtained with a conventional control system to assess the relevancy of optimal control for this application.