A Proposal for A Human-in-the-Loop Daylight Control System—Preliminary Experimental Results

Tullio de Rubeis (), Mattia Ragnoli, Alfiero Leoni, Dario Ambrosini and Vincenzo Stornelli
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Tullio de Rubeis: Department of Civil, Construction-Architectural and Environmental Engineering (DICEAA), University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Mattia Ragnoli: Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics (DIIIE), University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Alfiero Leoni: Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics (DIIIE), University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Dario Ambrosini: Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics (DIIIE), University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Vincenzo Stornelli: Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics (DIIIE), University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Appropriate daylight control could maximize occupants’ visual comfort, potentially saving energy. However, the deployment of daylight control systems (DLCSs) is not happening, mainly due to the complex system calibration and the frequent reluctance of occupants toward automatic control systems that exclude their participation. In this paper, a human-in-the-loop DLCS is presented. The system is designed to allow the users to have direct interaction via smartphone Bluetooth communication, enabling them to set the lighting values deemed most comfortable nimbly. Special attention has been paid to the power consumption of the DLCS, especially in standby mode. Accessibility of configuration has been taken into consideration, leading to the choice of a wireless configured device. The performance of the prototype DLCS was evaluated experimentally in a side-lit room and compared with that of a commercial controller. The illuminance on a reference work plane was measured during the operation of the systems to observe the controllers’ effect on the lamp’s luminous flux while simultaneously considering the variation of daylight conditions. Moreover, the energy performance of the systems was studied to obtain information about the energetic effectiveness and convenience of the studied DLCSs. The main results showed that the proposed system could maintain the required target illuminance values on the work plane as daylight conditions vary: the maximum deviation measured using the prototype never exceeded 11 lx. In comparison, the commercial controller reached peaks of 220 lx. Moreover, the energy consumption of the prototype (resulting equal to 370 mVA) was lower than the consumption of the commercial system (equal to 600 mVA), allowing for increased energy savings over the long period. The more straightforward configuration allows the user to better interact with the DLCS.

Keywords: daylight control system; daylight harvesting; energy savings; human-in-the-loop control system; illuminance measurements (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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