Demand response with functional buildings using simplified process models

Smart Grids ideally interconnect intelligent grid members. One big share of grid presence is with buildings. Flexible and grid-friendly buildings would improve grid management and are an important contribution to the integration of renewable energy sources. Classical buildings, however, are passive and not cooperative. This article describes how electro-thermal processes in buildings can be used for demand response and how such intelligent behavior can be enabled via communication technology. Experiments and simulations on typical mid-European buildings were done to estimate the potential time constants.