A conceptual framework for the real-time monitoring and diagnostic system for the optimal operation of smart building : a case study in Hotel ICON of Hong Kong

Abstract

This study proposes a conceptual framework for the real-time monitoring and diagnostic system for the optimal operation of smart building, focusing on the energy-efficient, occupant-oriented, and comfortable indoor environment. The proposed framework aims to improve the energy efficiency in a room of building while achieving the healthy and comfortable indoor environmental quality and occupants' satisfaction. The proposed framework consists of a three-phase cyclic process (i.e. monitoring, diagnostic, and intervention), and it can be simply replicated and extensively applied to the different levels of physical entities (spatial scalability) in the different time resolutions in the whole life cycle processes (temporal scalability). To elaborate the feasibility of the proposed framework, the Hotel ICON in Hong Kong are chosen as a case study. For three rooms in the Hotel ICON, several sensors are installed for monitoring the energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality in real time. With the collected dataset, it is planned to carry out the diagnostic process (e.g. anomaly detection, time-series analysis, and occupancy schedule pattern analysis) and the intervention process (e.g. automatic control, occupant behaviour change, and optimal operation). The conceptual framework provides a standardized and systematic research approach toward a big picture of an intelligent building systems for the energy-efficient, occupant-oriented, and comfortable indoor environment.