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The search for energy conservation must embrace all significant uses and potentials for more effective use of energy. In 1977, Technical Committee 1.4, Control Theory and Application of ASHRAE established a contract with Kansas State University to study The Effect of Room and Control Systems Dynamics on Energy Consumption. This paper presents the major results of this project. The objective of the project was to develop a simulation of the dynamic characteristics of a room with a fan and coil heating system which would provide a tool for the investigation of the effect on energy consumption of the various dynamic factors in the model. The project began with an extensive search of the literature to identify and make use of prior work. The final report submitted to ASHRAE contained a listing of over 300 technical reports which were reviewed, cataloged, and filed. Following the literature review, a mathematical model was formulated, a computer simulation prepared, an experimental investigation conducted, and a model refinement and simulation verification accomplished.

The result of this project is a carefully verified and documented simulation of the dynamics of a room with a fan and coil heating system. The simulation was used to study the effect on room temperature and energy consumption of changes in certain system parameters. This paper describes the model development, the experimental investigation, the simulation methodology, the parameter evaluations, and discusses the effect of control system parameters on energy consumption. Conclusions and recommendations for the study are included. More extensive documentation of the project can be found in Ref 1 through 7.

Citation: Symposium, ASHRAE Transactions, Volume 87, Part 2, Cincinnati, Ohio