Smart Windows Control Strategies for Building Energy Savings in Summer Conditions: A Comparison between Optimal and Model Predictive Controllers (OR-16-C077)

Smart windows are used to reduce energy consumption and improve thermal and visual comfort by controlling the solar flux entering into a building and/or adapting their thermal resistances. A commercial building with integrated electrochromic windows is modeled. The hour-by-hour state of the smart windows required to minimize overall energy consumption (heating, cooling, lighting) while respecting constraints related to visual comfort is determined through an optimization strategy based on genetic algorithms. Then, this optimal control is compared to two other approaches that could be applied in real-time applications: (i) rule-based control, and (ii) predictive control. The impacts of thermal mass, façade orientation and climate are analyzed.