On the impacts of occupancy sensing on advanced model predictive controls in commercial buildings
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This paper represents an effort to provide robust constraints on the galaxy–halo connection and simultaneously test the Planck ΛCDM cosmology using a fully numerical model of small-scale galaxy clustering. We explore two extensions to the standard Halo Occupation Distribution model: assembly bias, whereby halo occupation depends on both halo mass and the larger environment, and velocity bias, whereby galaxy velocities do not perfectly trace the velocity of the dark matter within the halo. Moreover, we incorporate halo mass corrections to account for the impact of baryonic physics on the halo population. We identify an optimal set of clustering measurements to constrain this "decorated" HOD model for both low- and high-luminosity galaxies in SDSS DR7. We find that, for low-luminosity galaxies, a model with both assembly bias and velocity bias provides the best fit to the clustering measurements, with no tension remaining in the fit. In this model, we find evidence for both central and satellite galaxy assembly bias at the 99% and 95% confidence levels, respectively. In addition, we find evidence for satellite galaxy velocity bias at the 99.9% confidence level. For high-luminosity galaxies, we find no evidence for either assembly bias or velocity bias, but our model exhibits significant tension with SDSS measurements. We find that all of these conclusions still stand when we include the effects of baryonic physics on the halo mass function, suggesting that the tension we find for high-luminosity galaxies may be due to a problem with our assumed cosmological model.
The main drawback of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations has been the time and resource consuming nature which is not suitable for real-time applications. In this work, we first generated numerous CFD models of a given indoor space to obtain airspeed, temperature, and mean radiant temperature near an occupant as training data. Several artificial neural networks (ANN) models were trained using this CFD simulated data to approximate near real-time environmental conditions for a given occupant. This trained ANN model approach is a part of a real-time simulation of building operations using a combination of software and real hardware (HVAC equipment) approaches. The preliminary results suggest that the CFD- generated training data and the trained ANN model can accurately approximate such conditions in a real-time application, a method that has great potential in building simulation and building digital twin areas of research.
This report details the results of building energy modeling analysis evaluating the potential energy savings, economic outcomes, and grid-level electricity reduction associated with cold climate air source heat pump (ccASHP) adoption across multifamily and manufactured housing (MMFH) building typologies in the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ). Three building archetypes were evaluated: multifamily 4-plex apartments, multifamily 8-plex apartments, and manufactured housing units. Building energy models were developed using OpenStudio-HPXML and calibrated to actual utility consumption data and local meteorological data from the Juneau International Airport weather station using an automated calibration tool following the BPI-2400-S-2015 v.2 standard for model calibration. Occupant behaviors present the greatest variability in successful calibrations. Calibrated models were benchmarked against a baseline electric resistance heating condition, with the selected ccASHP modeled as the retrofit condition and typical meteorological year weather data for all results generation.
We present constraints on cosmic structure growth from the analysis of galaxy clustering and galaxy-galaxy lensing with galaxies from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Data Release 1. We analyze four samples drawn from the Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS) and the Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) target classes. Projected galaxy clustering measurements from DESI are supplemented with lensing measurements from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the Kilo-Degree Survey (KiDS), and the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) survey around the same targets. Our method relies on a simulation-based modeling framework using the AbacusSummit simulations and a complex halo occupation distribution model that incorporates assembly bias. We analyze scales down to $0.4 \, h^{-1} \, \mathrm{Mpc}$ for clustering and $2.5 \, h^{-1} \, \mathrm{Mpc}$ for lensing, leading to stringent constraints on $S_8 = σ_8 \sqrt{Ω_\mathrm{m} / 0.3}$ and $Ω_\mathrm{m}$ when fixing other cosmological parameters to those preferred by the CMB. We find $S_8 = 0.794 \pm 0.023$ and $Ω_\mathrm{m} = 0.295 \pm 0.012$ when using lensing measurements from DES and KiDS. Similarly, for HSC, we find $S_8 = 0.793 \pm 0.017$ and $Ω_\mathrm{m} = 0.303 \pm 0.010$ when assuming the best-fit photometric redshift offset suggested by the HSC collaboration. Overall, our results are in good agreement with other results in the literature while continuing to highlight the constraining power of non-linear scales.
As new algorithms incorporate occupancy count information into more sophisticated HVAC control, these technologies offer great potential for reductions in energy costs while enhancing flexibility. This study presents results from a two-year field evaluation of an occupancy-based HVAC control system installed in an office building. Two wings on each of the building’s 2–11 floors were equipped with occupancy counters to learn occupancy patterns. In combination with proprietary machine learning algorithms and thermal modeling, the occupancy data were leveraged to implement optimized start, early closure, and adjustments to fan operation at the air handling unit (AHU) level. This study conducted a holistic evaluation of technical performance, cost-effectiveness analysis, and user satisfaction. Results show the platform reduced weekday AHU run times by 2 h and 35 min per AHU per day during the pandemic time period. Simulation shows that 6.1% annual whole-building savings can be achieved when the building is fully occupied. The results are compared with prior studies, and potential drivers are discussed for future opportunities. The assessment results shed light on the expected in-the-field performance for researchers and industry stakeholders and enabled practical considerations as the technology strives to move beyond research-grade pilot trials into product-grade deployment.
We present observational constraints on the galaxy–halo connection, focusing particularly on galaxy assembly bias from a novel combination of counts-in-cylinders statistics, P(N CIC ), with the standard measurements of the projected two-point correlation function w p (r p ), and number density n gal of galaxies. We measure n gal , w p (r p ), and P(N CIC ) for volume-limited, luminosity-threshold samples of galaxies selected from SDSS DR7, and use them to constrain halo occupation distribution (HOD) models, including a model in which galaxy occupation depends upon a secondary halo property, namely halo concentration. We detect significant positive central assembly bias for the M r < -20.0 and M r <-19.5 samples. Central galaxies preferentially reside within haloes of high concentration at fixed mass. Positive central assembly bias is also favoured in the M r < -20.5 and M r < -19.0 samples. We find no evidence of central assembly bias in the M r < -21.0 sample. We observe only a marginal preference for negative satellite assembly bias in the M r < -20.0 and M r < -19.0 samples, and non-zero satellite assembly bias is not indicated in other samples. Our findings underscore the necessity of accounting for galaxy assembly bias when interpreting galaxy survey data, and demonstrate the potential of count statistics in extracting information from the spatial distribution of galaxies, which could be applied to both galaxy–halo connection studies and cosmological analyses.
Galaxy clusters identified in optical imaging surveys suffer from projection effects: Physically unassociated galaxies along a cluster’s line of sight can be counted as its members and boost the observed richness (the number of cluster members). To model the impact of projection on cluster cosmology analyses, we apply a halo occupation distribution model to 𝑁-body simulations to simulate the red galaxies contributing to cluster members, and we use the number of galaxies in a cylinder along the line of sight (counts in cylinders) to model the impact of projection on cluster richness. We compare three projection models: uniform, quadratic, and Gaussian, and we convert between them by matching their effective cylinder volumes. We validate our mock catalogs using SDSS redMaPPer clusters’ data vectors, including counts vs richness, stacked lensing signal, spectroscopic redshift distribution of member galaxies, and richness remeasured on a redshift grid. We find the former two are insensitive to the projection model, while the latter two favor a quadratic projection model with a width of ≈180 ℎ −1 Mpc (equivalent to the volume of a uniform model with a width of 100 ℎ −1 Mpc and a Gaussian model with a width of 110 ℎ −1 Mpc, or a Gaussian redshift error of 0.04). Furthermore, our framework provides an efficient and flexible way to model optical cluster data vectors, paving the way for a simulation-based joint analysis for clusters, galaxies, and shear.
Building Performance Simulation (BPS) has been adopted as an essential tool for designing, operating, and retrofitting buildings to optimize energy efficiency throughout the building life cycle. The Green Building XML (gbXML) schema facilitates seamless data exchange between Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Building Energy Modeling (BEM) software tools. However, limited occupant behavior (OB) representation in BIM often leads to inconsistent and inaccurate energy simulation in BEM software. This paper presents 154 systematic enhancements to the existing occupant behavior XML (obXML) schema v1.3.4, initially developed for standardizing OB representation for BEM, to address existing limitations and improve interoperability with BIM models. The enhancements encompass improved integration with BIM models through extended building representations and system operations, expanded support for advanced OB models with additional environmental parameters and mathematical capabilities, and implementation of a standardized model documentation framework. To facilitate seamless data transformation between gbXML and obXML schemas, we developed a publicly available gb-obXML Schema Converter. Three case studies demonstrate the enhanced schema’s capabilities: representation of building information using a two-story office building model, documentation of a window operation behavior model, and validation of the schema converter’s functionality. The enhanced obXML schema v1.4 enables sophisticated modeling of occupant-building interactions while maintaining consistency with industry-standard BIM schemas. The standardized documentation framework facilitates reproducibility and knowledge sharing in the OB research community, while the schema converter automates the integration of building information into OB simulation workflows. These enhancements establish a foundation for more accurate building performance simulation by supporting sophisticated representation of occupant behavior within the BIM-to-BEM simulation workflows.
In the past decade, different sensing mechanisms and algorithms have been developed to detect or estimate indoor occupancy. One of the most recent advancements is using networked sensor nodes to create a more comprehensive occupancy detection system where multiple sensors can identify human presence within more expansive areas while delivering enhanced accuracy compared to a system that relies on stand-alone sensor nodes. The present work reviews the studies from 2012 to 2022 that use networked sensor nodes to detect indoor occupancy, focusing on PIR-based sensors. Methods are compared based on pivotal ADPs that play a significant role in selecting an occupancy detection system for applications such as Health and Safety or occupant comfort. These parameters include accuracy, information requirement, maximum sensor failure and minimum observation rate, and feasible detection area. We briefly describe the overview of occupancy detection criteria used by each study and introduce a metric called “sensor node deployment density” through our analysis. This metric captures the strength of network-level data filtering and fusion algorithms found in the literature. It is hinged on the fact that a robust occupancy estimation algorithm requires a minimal number of nodes to estimate occupancy. This review only focuses on the occupancy estimation models for networked sensor nodes. It thus provides a standardized insight into networked nodes’ occupancy sensing pipelines, which employ data fusion strategies, network-level machine learning algorithms, and occupancy estimation algorithms. This review thus helps determine the suitability of the reviewed methods to a standard set of application areas by analyzing their gaps.
Various observed and unquantifiable factors affect the thermal comfort of occupants in indoor environments and can lead to high uncertainty in the prediction and classification of their thermal preferences. The behavioral adaptation of occupants, by operating window systems for example, changes their thermal experience and expectations and therefore contributes to even higher prediction uncertainty. In this study, we applied a Bayesian neural network (BNN) algorithm to build a predictive model for occupant thermal preference using the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II. The Bayesian method allows us to synthesize prior knowledge and available measurements into a unified modeling framework. It also offers a way to express and quantify uncertainty. Here we have performed a systematic study to test the efficiency and robustness of different BNN model configurations. In this study, the results show that the BNN model outperforms conventional thermal comfort models such as Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and adaptive comfort model. The BNN model tends to produce more confident “prefer cooler” predictions with high possibility and low uncertainty. In contrast, the BNN model produces less certain predictions for “prefer no change” and “prefer warmer” across all occupants. Our findings suggest that linking occupants’ subjective evaluation measures and window opening/closing behavior to thermal comfort modeling effectively improves predictive performance.
Indoor airborne particulates are well-known health hazards and filtration is one common method of reducing exposures. Based on our previously developed Regional Shelter Analysis methodology and parameters that characterize the existing US building stock, we perform a high-level assessment of the potential benefits of upgrading existing filters in furnace and in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems using off-the-shelf filters. We use three metrics to assess the improvement: Building Transmission Factor (a measure of protection against outdoor airborne particles), Indoor Normalized Time and Space Integrated Air Concentration (a measure of indoor exposure to indoor-origin airborne particles), and Building Exit Fraction (fraction of indoor airborne particles that are released to the outdoor atmosphere). We also discuss the potential reduction in regional exposures due to particles exiting the building and exposing downwind building occupants. Our modeling indicates that while buildings provide their occupants passive protection against airborne particulate hazards, including but not limited to PM 2.5 , PM 10 , and wildfire smoke; improving particle filtration efficiency may further improve this protection. The degree of improvement varies with particle size and building type. Of the building types studied, apartments are predicted to benefit most, with greater than a factor of 2 improvement (≥50% reduction in exposures) for 1 µm particle exposures when using MERV 7 to 12 rated filters. Non-residential buildings were notably less responsive to improved filtration but had the highest Building Exit Fractions with 30% to 40% of indoor airborne particles released to the outdoor atmosphere (apartment buildings only released 6% to 9%). Improvements predicted for single family homes were intermediate between apartments and non-residential buildings. Improvements in the Regional Exposure metric are larger, ranging from a factor of 2.5x to 10x for residences (when using MERV 7 to 12 rated filters) and up to 25x for large apartments with MERV 14 or 15 rated filters. The results of our modeling analysis are broadly consistent with the limited experimental data and modeling results available in the literature.
ABSTRACT We measure the small-scale clustering of the Data Release 16 extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey Luminous Red Galaxy sample, corrected for fibre-collisions using Pairwise Inverse Probability weights, which give unbiased clustering measurements on all scales. We fit to the monopole and quadrupole moments and to the projected correlation function over the separation range $7-60\, h^{-1}{\rm Mpc}$ with a model based on the aemulus cosmological emulator to measure the growth rate of cosmic structure, parametrized by fσ8. We obtain a measurement of fσ8(z = 0.737) = 0.408 ± 0.038, which is 1.4σ lower than the value expected from 2018 Planck data for a flat ΛCDM model, and is more consistent with recent weak-lensing measurements. The level of precision achieved is 1.7 times better than more standard measurements made using only the large-scale modes of the same sample. We also fit to the data using the full range of scales $0.1\text{--}60\, h^{-1}{\rm Mpc}$ modelled by the aemulus cosmological emulator and find a 4.5σ tension in the amplitude of the halo velocity field with the Planck + ΛCDM model, driven by a mismatch on the non-linear scales. This may not be cosmological in origin, and could be due to a breakdown in the Halo Occupation Distribution model used in the emulator. Finally, we perform a robust analysis of possible sources of systematics, including the effects of redshift uncertainty and incompleteness due to target selection that were not included in previous analyses fitting to clustering measurements on small scales.
The SMU group led by Professor Robert Kehoe continued to work to constrain dark energy measurements of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). These constraints are obtained by measuring the expected peak in characteristic distance scale between galaxies, the ‘BAO peak’, as a function of redshift for four different types of galaxy. DESI will cover the redshift range to z<3.5 with approximately 40 million galaxy spectra. SMU’s primary emphasis during the funding period was on the early DESI data, including the development of software that would allow the measurement of the impact of incomplete targeting of galaxies in the survey. We provided software to calculate the weights that are critical to permit us to correctly compare data to the theoretical calculations of dark matter halos. SMU also began development of software that can be integrated into the analysis pipeline that uses alternate targeting to generate these weights. Baryonic physics has a critical impact on galaxy development and placement within dark matter halos. SMU also increased its efforts in the area of modeling this galaxy-halo connection in two areas. The primary emphasis was to work on a sub-halo abundance matching scheme using dark matter simulation with very fine mass resolution (‘Uchuu’). Our effort here is to produce models for use by DESI that more correctly account for the subhalo structure of dark matter distribution, and its manifestation in satellite galaxies. Our initial effort had been for emission line galaxies. In the funding period, we were able to produce first halo-occupation distribution models. This work is slated to contribute to DESI Key Project papers. We also furthered our ongoing effort to study galaxy placement in halos using semi-analytic methods. Kehoe’s group also continued to maintain its strong role in DESI Operations, with SMU postdoc serving as a Lead Observing Scientist.
Demand response (DR) aims to curtail peak electric load to avoid running inefficient power plants, reduce costly transmission capacity increases, and improve grid reliability. One method of DR for residential settings involves the utility or third part remotely adjusting thermostat temperatures. Cooling setpoints may be increased 2°F – 6°F for hours, irrespective of occupant comfort. To maintain their comfort, occupants override these setpoint changes impacting the reliability of DR services provided to the grid. This paper presents a preliminary impact analysis of replacing the current DR approach of uniform thermostat setbacks for an entire population with personalized and context aware DR based on a dynamic model of occupant thermal comfort behavior. Over 151k interactions with ecobee thermostats are analyzed to predict the impact of such personalized DR on overrides, energy curtailment magnitude, and reliability.
We present results from a set of mock lightcones for the DESI One-Percent Survey, created from the UCHUU simulation. This 8 h −3 Gpc 3 N-body simulation comprises 2.1 trillion particles and provides high-resolution dark matter (sub)haloes in the framework of the Planck-based ΛCDM cosmology. Employing the subhalo abundance matching (SHAM) technique, we populated the UCHUU (sub)haloes with all four DESI tracers – Bright Galaxy Survey (BGS), luminous red galaxies (LRGs), emission line galaxies (ELGs), and quasars (QSOs) – to z = 2.1. Our method accounts for redshift evolution as well as the clustering dependence on luminosity and stellar mass. The two-point clustering statistics of the DESI One-Percent Survey generally agree with predictions from UCHUU across scales ranging from 0.3 h −1 Mpc to 100 h −1 Mpc for the BGS and across scales ranging from 5 h −1 Mpc to 100 h −1 Mpc for the other tracers. We observed some differences in clustering statistics that can be attributed to incompleteness of the massive end of the stellar mass function of LRGs, our use of a simplified galaxy-halo connection model for ELGs and QSOs, and cosmic variance. We find that at the high precision of UCHUU, the shape of the halo occupation distribution (HOD) of the BGS and LRG samples is smaller bias values, likely due to cosmic variance. The bias dependence on absolute magnitude, stellar mass, and redshift aligns with that of previous surveys. These results provide DESI with tools to generate high-fidelity lightcones for the remainder of the survey and enhance our understanding of the galaxy-halo connection.
ABSTRACT Using the GAEA semi-analytic model, we analyse the connection between Damped Ly α systems (DLAs) and H i in galaxies. Our state-of-the-art semi-analytic model is tuned to reproduce the local galaxy H i mass function, and that also reproduces other important galaxy properties, including the galaxy mass–gas metallicity relation. To produce catalogues of simulated DLAs we throw 105 random lines of sight in a composite simulated volume: dark matter haloes with log$(\frac{M_{200}}{ {\rm M}_{\odot }}) \ge 11.5$ are extracted from the Millennium Simulation, while for $9.2 \le \log (\frac{M_{200}}{ \mathrm{M}_{\odot }})\lt 11.5$ we use the Millennium II, and for $8 \le \log (\frac{M_{200}}{\mathrm{M}_{\odot }}) \lt 9.2$ a halo occupation distribution model. At 2 < z < 3, where observational data are more accurate, our fiducial model predicts the correct shape of the column density distribution function, but its normalization falls short of the observations, with the discrepancy increasing at higher redshift. The agreement with observations is significantly improved increasing both the H i masses and the disc radii of model galaxies by a factor of 2, as implemented ‘a posteriori’ in our 2M−2R model. In the redshift range of interest, haloes with $M_{200} \ge {10}^{11} \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$ give the major contribution to ΩDLA, and the typical DLA host halo mass is $\sim \!{10}^{11} \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$. The simulated DLA metallicity distribution is in relatively good agreement with observations, but our model predicts an excess of DLAs at low metallicities. Our results suggest possible improvements for the adopted modelling of the filtering mass and metal ejection in low-mass haloes.