A method of training a comfort model used for controlling a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, HVAC, system. The method includes: a user device providing a plurality of user feedbacks, each of the plurality of user feedbacks is provided at a respective point in time and describes a thermal comfort of a user using the user device; at each point in time associated with the plurality of user feedbacks, each of a plurality of HVAC devices detecting running parameters; and for each of the plurality of user feedbacks: inputting the running parameters of each of the plurality of HVAC devices detected at the respective point in time into the comfort model to generate a predicted thermal comfort, determining a loss value by comparing the predicted thermal comfort with the thermal comfort described by the respective user feedback, and training the comfort model to reduce the loss value.

There is provided a method of controlling an air-conditioning system associated with a building for optimizing a plurality of building performance parameters in providing an environment with respect to a zone of the building, the method comprising: obtaining zone environmental condition information including zone temperature data associated to the zone, and cooling air temperature data associated to an air handling unit associated to the zone; obtaining, from a zone model generator, zone cooling load parameters associated to the zone with respect to a plurality of time periods and a zone thermal dynamic model; obtaining, from a scheduler, a sequence of optimal cool air supply rates with respect to a plurality of subsequent time periods with respect to the zone determined based on a multi-component cost function including a plurality of components relating to the plurality of building performance parameters; determining, based on the zone thermal dynamic model, a sequence of zone controller set-points corresponding to the sequence of optimal cool air supply rates with respect to the zone using the zone cooling load parameters, the sequence of optimal cool air supply rates, the zone temperature data and the cooling air temperature data associated to the air handling unit; and sending the sequence of zone controller set-points to a zone controller for controlling a temperature of the zone.

A method of monitoring an air filter in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that includes operating a blower motor at a desired torque; monitoring a horsepower of the blower motor over a selected time period when the blower motor is operating at the desired torque; determining a moving average of the horsepower of the blower motor over the selected time period; detecting when the moving average drops below an established baseline moving average by a selected percentage; and activating a notification to check or change the air filter of the HVAC system.

A method of controlling a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, HVAC, system. The method includes: controlling indoor environmental conditions using the HVAC system, detecting a load of the HVAC system, inputting detected indoor environmental conditions and detected outdoor environmental conditions into a load prediction model to generate a predicted load, and training the load prediction model to reduce a difference between the predicted load and the detected load of the HVAC system; determining requested indoor environmental conditions associated with a future time period; determining predicted outdoor environmental conditions within the future time period using a weather forecast; inputting the requested indoor environmental conditions and the predicted outdoor environmental conditions into the trained load prediction model to determine a predicted load for the future time period; controlling the HVAC system to reduce a load of the HVAC system within the future time period using the determined predicted load.

In an air-conditioning system including an outside air processing device and an air-conditioning device, an operation of either one of the outside air processing device or the air-conditioning device is stopped if a temperature/humidity state that is at least either the temperature or humidity of air in a target space is within a predetermined range and if the load factor of at least one of the outside air processing device or the air-conditioning device is below a predetermined lower limit.

An integrated system and method measures building characteristics and user behavior to provide real-time and forecasted utility usages and costs. The system gathers current and historical heating and cooling load data, compares the data with current and historical weather data and a building system set point, and calculates the heating or cooling load needed for the building based on the user's call for heat or cooling and the ambient environmental conditions. The system additionally analyzes individual device usage using usage signatures and user inputted tracking to create a comprehensive real-time and forecast of utility usages with the estimated costs. Through history of selections with usage changes corresponding to user input of individual devices, the system will be able to learn various devices' usage. The system then creates a comprehensive, real-time forecast of utility costs including the foregoing characteristics.

A variable air flow air conditioning (HVAC) systems and methods are disclosed. In example embodiments, one or more variable speed fans or air-moving devices are in communication with ducts connecting one or more zones of a structure or other space to be air conditioned. Zone temperature sensors and air flow measurement are provided to obtain particular measurements relative to the zone it is serving while communicating with a central control. Optionally, a distributed control system can be provided such that zone sensors communicate with both the central control and its respective zone controller. The control system collects and processes multiple datasets to dynamically and proportionally adjust the volumetric air flows of each of the zones to satisfy any loads or heating/cooling demands while also maintaining a net volumetric air flow across a coil of the indoor heat transfer unit within a preset range. In some example embodiments, enhanced variable air flow air conditioning (HVAC) systems and methods are disclosed.

A method is provided for controlling an HVAC system. The method includes receiving zone airflow target values for zones of a conditioned space. The method includes accessing a duct model including a first term that describes a flow factor for a zone damper as a nonlinear function of damper position, and a second term that describes zone airflow as a function of the flow factor and a branch pressure across zone-specific branches of an air circulation path. The method includes applying the zone airflow target values to the duct model to determine a damper position set, and actuating zone dampers to respective damper positions of the damper position set. The method may also include determining a value of total airflow to achieve the zone airflow target values with a total pressure target, and causing a fan to provide conditioned air with the value of the total airflow.

An air conditioning system includes an air conditioner mounted on a mobile body having a cold storage. The air conditioner includes a compressor, a condenser, a decompression device, an evaporator, and a blower. The air conditioning system includes a charge display device configured to display a charge related to a use of the air conditioner; and a controller configured to control an air conditioning operation. The controller includes: a load calculation unit that calculates an air conditioning load of the air conditioner; a charge calculation unit that calculates a usage charge based on the air conditioning load; and a charge display unit that displays the usage charge on the charge display device.

The air conditioning system comprises: an air conditioner; an inference device to infer data representing a total amount of a power demand value exceeding a set value for a prediction target period from input data including at least one of operation data of the air conditioner for a period prior to the prediction target period, state data of a user of the air conditioner for the period prior to the prediction target period, weather prediction data for the prediction target period, or characteristic data of the room in which the air conditioner is installed; and a control device to cause the air conditioner to perform a heat storage operation depending on a predicted value of the total amount of the power demand value.