{"id":4283699,"date":"2023-08-07T19:02:43","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T17:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/case\/developing-an-open-source-hvac-controls-design-tool\/"},"modified":"2025-03-03T14:21:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T12:21:19","slug":"developing-an-open-source-hvac-controls-design-tool","status":"publish","type":"case","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-uki\/case\/developing-an-open-source-hvac-controls-design-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"Developing an open-source HVAC controls design tool\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t<\/svg>\n\t\n<\/button>\n\t\tLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory\t<\/h2>\n\t\tDeveloping an open-source HVAC controls design tool\u00a0\t<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n
\n\t\n\t\tThe Department of Energy\u2019s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) aims to tackle the most pressing global challenges in energy, environment, and health.

DEPT\u00ae worked with their team to design and develop<\/a> ctrl-flow, a high-performance controls design tool that helps deploy energy-efficient control sequences for building HVAC systems.\t<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\t\n\t\tIntroducing ctrl-flow\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\tDesigning efficient controls for a complex HVAC system is a challenging task that requires expertise and specific knowledge. Highly specialised controls system designers are few and far between, which forces mechanical engineers to muddle their way through the process.\u00a0

ctrl-flow<\/a> highly automates this process, making control system design more accessible and efficient to mechanical engineers. This free, open-source tool allows them to robustly design, specify, and deliver high-performance control sequences at a lower cost.

The overarching objective of ctrl-flow is to help improve energy efficiency. Even a few percentages of energy efficiency can improve large commercial buildings\u2019 carbon footprints while saving money on operational costs.\u00a0

ctrl-flow generates a specification for the sequence of operations in a text document based on the mechanical engineer\u2019s decisions. This document is based on the ASHRAE Guideline 36, a 300-page document. Using the mechanical engineer\u2019s designs, ctrl-flow narrows it down to a fraction of that, saving the engineer time by avoiding manually editing the document.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t