Optimal scheduling of air conditioners for energy efficiency

Energy saving is one of the most important research hotspots, by which operational expenditure and CO2 emission can be reduced. Optimal cooling capacity scheduling in addition to temperature control can improve energy efficiency. The main contribution of this work is modeling the telecommunication building for the fabric cooling load to schedule the operation of air conditioners. The time series data of the fabric cooling load of the building envelope is taken by simulation by using Energy Plus, Building Control Virtual Test Bed (BCVTB), and Matlab. This pre-computed data and other internal thermal loads are used for scheduling in air conditioners. Energy savings obtained for the whole year are about 4% to 6% by simulation and the field study, respectively. © University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.