Review of Residential Comfort Control Products and Opportunities

Abstract

Executive SummaryBuildings consume about 40% of total energy used in the United States, and residential buildings account for more than half of the energy consumed in buildings.Researchers have shown that about 60% of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems have installation, commissioning, and performance problems, leading to as much as a 30% increase in annual energy consumption (Lstiburek 2010;Domanski 2014). The efficient design and improved operation of HVAC systems in homes could lead to significant energy reduction.The development of commercially available sensors and control-related software in the past decade has resulted in a rapidly growing and changing HVAC control industry. Several papers describe parts of the HVAC controls space (Maasoumy, 2016, DOE 2016b, DOE 2016d, Wang and Goins, 2015. However, the objective of this paper is to fill a remaining need to help researchers capture a snapshot of HVAC control product capabilities and remaining opportunities that save homeowners and technicians' time, money, and energy. By developing a taxonomy around the interaction between HVAC sensor and control technology, the current state-of-the-art product capabilities can be organized and summarized. This paper begins by discussing the interaction of each major component in advanced sensor and control applications related to HVAC equipment. Figure ES.1 shows how each of these components interacts with each other to form appropriate inputs and outputs for a given application. Figure ES.1. Interactions between Several Component Technologies in an HVAC Control System (blue lines represent communication.)The paper also looks at the applications of these components to commissioning, maintenance, and operations of the HVAC equipment in residential buildings. This paper assumes that commissioning is Actuators Data Storage and External Signals Humanin-theloop Sensors Computation Platform Control Applicationsvii Two reoccurring opportunities to help save energy also appear throughout the paper. First, the use and control of variable speed motors throughout many components of the HVAC system would help take advantage of opportunities where full power is not necessary. Second, permanent and internet-connected sensors could help quickly diagnose and alert homeowners and technicians of non-optimal operating conditions so they can be remedied (e.g., dirty filters).ix Acknowledgments

Innovations in Sensors and Controls for Building Energy Management: Research and Development Opportunities Report for Emerging Technologies

“…Similarly, for space heating, almost 50% included a programmable thermostat, but only 16% used the programmable functionality (U.S. EIA 2017c). Reasons for their limited use include occupant override, along with complicated user interfaces that are difficult to use (Meier et al 2010;Metzger, Goyal, and Baechler 2017). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR ® maintains guidelines on the proper usage of programmable thermostats, which were first introduced as a certified ENERGY STAR product in 1995 but removed in 2009 due to lack of occupant usage or resulting energy savings.…”