CH-24-C023 - Energy Saving Potential Analysis for Primary Schools with Optimal Dedicated Outdoor Air System Control in Different Climate Zones

A dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) directly supplies occupied zones with 100% outdoor air. Notably, DOAS with a proper operation strategy can provide sufficient ventilation and dehumidification while achieving energy efficiency. In the last decade, there have been efforts to develop advanced control sequences (e.g., optimal or near-optimal control) for DOAS operations. Nevertheless, limited studies have been conducted to analyze the energy-saving potential of implementing such DOAS controls in different climate zones with different DOAS configurations. For this study, we developed 90 EnergyPlus primary school models accommodating different DOAS configurations by changing the type of DOAS system, system sizing, and the terminal units, under selected ASHRAE climate zones (i.e., 2A, 3B, 4A, 4C, 6A, and 6B). We used genetic algorithm-based optimization to determine the optimal DOAS SAT that would minimize the operational cost of the system. It was found that optimizing the DOAS SAT control sequence with specific system configurations across all climate zones could save 5-34% in operational costs throughout selected periods (i.e., 4 weeks for heating, cooling, and shoulder seasons, respectively) compared with a typical rule-based control (i.e., outdoor air temperature-based reset control).