Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Example 2
Centralized control of HVAC systems
The centralized control of HVAC systems can be applied to industrial, commer-
cial, and residential buildings in order to guarantee comfortable conditions with
minimum energy consumption.
All kinds of software and hardware are available on the market. The estimate of
energy saving would require knowledge of many details and data on the site
concerned and on the hardware and software chosen.
As a general rule, a saving of 15 % on the previous energy consumption for
HVAC can be assumed as an average value.
A building with 45,000 m
2
(485,000 ft
2
) of floor and 100,000 m
3
(3,531
10
3
ft
3
)
of space to be heated and cooled is considered. The consumption is 600 TOE for
heating in the cold season (2,500 h/year) and 1,600 MW h for cooling in the hot
season (2,000 h/year). The energy saving associated with the installation of a
centralized control system, based on 750-1,250 control points inside the building,
is then estimated to be equal to 90 TOE/year and 240 MW h/year.
The economic evaluation is shown in Table
19.4
where only the contribution of
energy saving is considered.
Other advantages, such as comfort and reduction of working hours for plant
maintenance and operation, will certainly increase the economic advantages of a
centralized control system (see also Sect.
17.8
).
