Forecasting is a method of controlling building

heating A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. It is a component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (short: HVAC) systems, which can both cool and warm interior spaces. ...

by calculating demand for heating energy that should be supplied to the building in each time unit. By combining physics of structures with meteorology, properties of the building, weather conditions including outdoor temperature, wind power and direction, as well as solar radiation can be taken into account. In the case of conventional heating control, only current outdoor temperature is considered. The starting point for developing the method of forecasting was the ENLOSS mathematical energy balance model developed by Prof. Roger Taesler from

Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute ( sv, Sveriges meteorologiska och hydrologiska institut, abbreviated SMHI) is a Government agency in Sweden and operates under the Ministry of the Environment. SMHI has expertise within the a ...

in cooperation with Thorbjörn Geiser and Stefan Berglund, who are currently both employed at eGain Sweden AB. Forecasting method began to be introduced to use in the late 1980s. Until 2010 inclusive, forecasting method has been introduced in nearly seven million square metres of floorage of residential buildings and commercial premises. Forecasting method is offered and developed by many companies and organizations. Estimated data indicate 10 - 15 kWh/m2 reduction of average annual heat energy consumption. Since forecasting method contains information about future demand and is not in conflict with other methods of increasing energy efficiency, it is always a good foreground solution.Sasic Kaligasidis, A et al. (2006) "Upgraded weather forecast control of building heating systems". p. 951 ff in ''Research in Building Physics and Building Engineering'' Paul Fazio (Editorial Staff),

Forecasting in practice

As far as practical use of forecasting method is concerned, usually remote control forecasting receivers are used to send and receive data by means of

GPRS General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data standard on the 2G and 3G cellular communication network's global system for mobile communications (GSM). GPRS was established by European Telecommunications Standards Ins ...

GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...

network. Then, the forecasting receivers manage the operation of control panels installed in buildings which adjust distribution of

heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...

energy in the

heating system A heating system is a mechanism for maintaining temperatures at an acceptable level; by using thermal energy within a home, office, or other dwelling. Often part of an HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system. A heating system may be a ...

of a given property. Recently, special remote control weather loggers have started to be used in combination with forecasting receivers. The weather loggers measure air

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...

and

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

with high accuracy and the measurements are sent in real time to forecasting receivers to which they are connected. Such a turning point in technology indicates even higher precision of forecasting method.

Notes

References

*Sasic Kaligasidis, A et al. (2006) "Upgraded weather forecast control of building heating systems". p. 951 ff in ''Research in Building Physics and Building Engineering''. Paul Fazio (Editorial Staff), {{ISBN, 0-415-41675-2 *Taesler, R. (1990/91) "Climate and Building Energy Management". ''Energy and Buildings'', Vol. 15-16, pp 599 – 608. *United States Patent 6098893 "Comfort control system incorporating weather forecast data and a method for operating such a system" (Inventor Stefan Berglund) Heating sv:Prognosstyrning