Center for the Built Environment

Conventional wisdom and standard industry practice is to setback zone temperature setpoints when commercial buildings are unoccupied at night. The HVAC systems then operate in warmup mode to recover zone temperatures prior to the start of occupancy, sometimes with an optimal start algorithm. These strategies were intended to reduce HVAC energy consumption when originally developed decades ago but are due for re-examination given the significant changes in HVAC systems that have since occurred. In particular, the changes currently underway with the movement toward electrification present new design considerations and priorities. Warming up a building as fast as possible may not be the best strategy in terms of energy use, operating cost, or carbon emissions. This article discusses some of the downfalls of conventional morning warmup practices, suggests an improved strategy, and shows the results from a pilot field demonstration test.