1. INTRODUCTION
The goal of an automatic control system for daylighting and electric lighting devices is
double:
1
Optimize the user's comfort inside the room;
2
Minimize the energy used for allowing a good inside comfort.
The control system must provide, even before tuning or adaptation, a good comfort to the
users. This comfort is not limited to visual comfort, but also includes thermal and air
quality comforts.
Actually, an automatic system must not only fulfill these requirements, it must also be
well accepted by the users; otherwise, the users will complain and get unsatisfied, or the
automatic control system will be disconnected, causing higher energy consumption and
potentially uncomfortable situations.
The requirements listed in the next section concerns advanced control systems. Some of
the requirements may be only partially fulfilled for other control systems, especially for
commercially available control systems.
This document, after the guidelines themselves, lists a number of research projects as
illustration to one or several points of the guidelines.
It should be also noted that advanced control systems should go a step further than
daylight responsive control systems for electric lighting devices, which have been already
treated in detail in IEA Task 21 (Daylight in Buildings). For further reference, please
consult the Source Book produced by the Task 21, especially section 5 (Daylight
Responsive Controls).
Target audience
This report is aimed at persons, companies or organizations dealing with the design of
control systems. It is also aimed at the professionals, such as specialized engineers,
responsible for integrating control systems in buildings.
Therefore, some knowledge of the field is required for a fruitful reading. In particular,
this guide is hardly adequate for building owners or building designers, except for those
persons having enough familiarity with the control concepts.
State of the art
Commercial control systems are usually not fulfilling all the requirements which are
explained in sections 2 to 4. Nevertheless, some of them include advanced characteristics,
like self-commissioning or the careful consideration of the environmental situation thanks
to several sensors. The automatic adaptation to user preferences is in general not yet
available in these systems.
Summary :
Some of the requirements may be only partially fulfilled for other control systems, especially for commercially available control systems. It should be also noted that advanced control systems should go a step further than daylight responsive control systems for electric lighting devices, which have been already treated in detail in IEA Task 21 (Daylight in Buildings).
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