Insights from the Field: Implementing Schedule-Based Control Strategies for Load Shifting in Educational Buildings

This work compares two schedule-based control strategies for load shifting of space-heating loads in two real school buildings in Norway. Both buildings have waterborne heat distribution systems and are connected to district heating. The loads can be shifted by deploying the building energy flexibility. One control strategy increases all room temperature setpoints simultaneously, whereas for the other control strategy room temperature setpoints are increased in a coordinated manner to avoid high peak power demands. Both schedule-based control strategies focus on pre-heating of the buildings in the morning and show to be effective in moving heating loads from peak periods (7 a.m.–9 a.m.) to off-peak periods. The control strategy with a coordinated setpoint increase proves to be effective in avoiding high peak load demand, whereas a high peak demand increase is shown for a simultaneous setpoint increase. Furthermore, practical challenges during the implementation of the control strategies into the existing building management systems are presented, pointing out that an energy-flexible building operation should ideally be considered during the building's tendering and design phase.