Work

Implementing occupant-centric control in educational buildings: Energy impact, ventilation, and AI considerations

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Occupant-centric control (OCC) has shown great potential in enhancing building energy performance and promoting urban sustainability. However, there have been limited large-scale field implementations due to the lack of production-ready solutions, especially in data-poor existing buildings. In this paper, we present an integrated rule-based OCC solution that reaches technology readiness level 8 and is compatible with existing building management systems. The proposed framework was deployed in two university buildings for 10 months, and comprehensive energy-saving analyses were conducted to quantify the energy impact of incremental supervisory control interventions. Results show over 40% energy savings with this data- and computationally-efficient framework, highlighting the critical role of ventilation. We further address the trade-offs of more advanced supervisory control through simulation-based comparative experiments, offering insights into the opportunities and limitations of future AI/ML adoption.

Source: Energy and Buildings

DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2026.118008

Authors: Sicheng Zhan, Audun Botterud, Jeremy Gregory, Leslie K. Norford

Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Building Energy and Comfort Optimization

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,260