Residential environment regulation using intelligent fuzzy control

The heating input into domestic buildings in total is of importance in the energy requirements of the country. Although the standard domiciliary unit is far too small to justify an air-conditioning system, the regulation of the heated space is subject to a myriad of random disturbances which often result in poor performance manifesting itself as occupant discomfort. That the conventional thermostat control can be bettered is not in question. The issue is whether such improvement in control can be carried out inexpensively enough to justify the capital expenditure for a residential unit. The performance criterion of the system as a whole does not offer many possibilities for energy conservation and increased efficiency. However, by the use of an intelligent supervisor on the control it is hoped to provide cost benefits as well as improved performance in the field of user `comfort´. Fuzzy logic is used as the tool for implementing the control algorithms. The nature of the plant to be controlled justifies the choice of fuzzy logic as will be seen from the description of the plant and the disturbances affecting it