Assessment of peak power demand reduction available via modulation of building ventilation systems

Peak power demand strains electrical grids and increases cost of electricity generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure.  Many studies have examined ways of reducing this peak power demand, including modification of room air temperature setpoints or the reduction of lighting levels. However, very few or no studies have examined the peak power reduction resource offered by temporary curtailment of building ventilation systems.  For this reason, we conducted a simulation campaign in which we examined the resource offered by temporary ventilation curtailment in commercial buildings of different use types across the United States and in residences in the state of California, with the essential constraint that any changes resulted in air quality acceptable to occupants through additional ventilation to compensate for the curtailment. To do this, we employed previously validated building models implemented in the airflow and contaminant transport tool CONTAM and building thermal and systems modeling tool EnergyPlus, in some cases co-simulated.  Results show savings are highly dependent on building type and climate but range from 0-2 W/ft2 and up to 40% of total peak building power demand.  Depending on building type, this power shed can be conducted for 1.5-8 hours before acute exposure or odor concerns are expected, assuming a safety factor of 2.  This reduction is of the same magnitude as that offered by thermal control strategies such as setpoint increase, or from lighting reduction strategies.