A longitudinal field study of sensor-driven occupancy-centric HVAC controls in an office building

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-15-2026

Abstract

Occupancy-centric controls (OCCs) have demonstrated significant energy-saving potential in building Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, yet existing research has been predominantly focused on computer simulations or limited-scale field testing due to the paucity of suitable occupant counting sensing products, interoperability issues between sensor technologies and building automation systems (BAS), and the technical complexities associated with modifying existing control sequences within BAS frameworks. This paper presents a longitudinal field investigation of occupancy-centric HVAC controls conducted in a real-world office building situated in the southern United States over an extended 13-month period. A network of floormat-based occupant counting sensors and passive infrared (PIR) based occupancy presence sensors was integrated with the BAS using Internet of Things (IoT) technology to facilitate the implementation of comprehensive zone and system-level temperature and ventilation reset control sequences. The whole-year field test indicated substantial energy savings, achieving a 55.47 % reduction on weekends and holidays and a 43.48% reduction on workdays, without compromising indoor thermal comfort or air quality. The sensor demonstrated high accuracy for a significant portion of the time, particularly in low-occupancy scenarios, while there was a sharp increase in larger errors for very high occupancy scenarios. This research advances building automation through three key innovations: first, a pioneering implementation of building-wide occupancy sensing with direct BACnet integration into existing BAS infrastructure, addressing the critical gap between sensing and control systems. Second, it demonstrates a pioneering real-world deployment of comprehensive PPCL-based occupant-centric control strategies that bridge theoretical frameworks with practical industry standards. Third, it introduces a novel longitudinal analysis framework that quantifies the interplay between sensor errors and control performance, providing insights into the robustness of sensor-driven building controls. These contributions establish a foundation for scalable, robust occupant-responsive building systems.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Energy and Buildings

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS