A Model for Evaluation of Life-Cycle Energy Savings of Occupancy Sensors for Control of Lighting and Ventilation in Office Buildings

摘要

Lighting and ventilation represent the majority of the air conditioning loads in office buildings in hot humid climates. Use of motion sensors is one way to minimize the energy used for these loads. This paper describes the methods used for simulation a case study building with motion sensors installed and the monitoring of system on-off statistics related to occupant patterns. It alsodescribes the development of the Monte Carlo modelused to predict the on-off status of sensors. Thebuilding using the motion sensors is compared to abuilding that controls the lights and ventilators by aconventional pre-programmed schedule. Theconventional methods of simulation were shown togenerate misleading information regarding electricdemand charges and life-cycle costs of the building.When comparing to actual use patterns, the MonteCarlo process was shown to represent an adequateway to represent the on-off patterns. Computersimulations further demonstrate the potential lifecycle cost savings from the use of the motionsensors.