Saving Energy and Providing Value Added Services in Intelligent Buildings: A MAS Approach

Abstract

In a de-regulated market the distribution utilities will compete with added value for the customer in addition to the delivery of energy. We describe a system consisting of a collection of software agents that monitor and control an office building. It uses the existing power lines for communication between the agents and the electrical devices of the building, such as sensors and actuators for lights, heating, and ventilation. The objectives are both energy saving and increasing customer satisfaction through value added services. Results of qualitative simulations and quantitative analysis based on thermodynamical modeling of an office building and its staff using four different approaches for controlling the building indicate that significant energy savings, up to 40 per cent, can be achieved by using the agent-based approach. The evaluation also shows that customer satisfaction can be increased in most situations. In fact, this approach makes it possible to control the trade-off between energy saving and customer satisfaction (and actually increase both in comparison with current approaches).