Programmable Communicating
Thermostat (PCT)
Research Team @ UC Berkeley
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During the project, our team developed a number of tools which were necessary for demand response research and demonstrations. The software tools can generally be made available to any interested parties, and documentation, gerber files, and source code for the hardware tools is available as well. If you are interested in accessing any of these items, please contact us.
A C-based state machine was developed to run in Linux on embedded systems or personal computers. This state machine reproduces the functionality of a standard programmable thermostat while adding communications and control functionality specified by Title 24. The control software was used to run the PCT Proof-of-Concept (PoC) we developed to demonstrate our minimum-functionality PCT concept. The controller is also a component of our systemic control study of load groups comprised of a large number of residences with installed PCT's. Please contact us for information about the controller.
A 5-state thermodynamic model of a house with an air-conditioner was developed to simulate end-load response to PCT control signals (price, temperature curtailments, etc.). This C-based computer model accounts for outdoor air temperature in driving the interior temperature of the house. A simulation running this model was used during PCT Proof-of-Concept (PoC) demonstrations to show that the PoC was fully functional in controlling a residential HVAC system. The model was tuned to the CALRES simulation and shows very consistent thermodynamic behavior with other established models. The model is currently being used as a component of our systemic control study of load groups comprised of a large number of residences with installed PCT's. Please contact us for information about the model.
This multipurpose device is a standalone FM receiver with an integrated RDS decoder. It is managed by a programmable Atmel MCU which can be used to format relevant DR data from the RDS channel or collect reception statistics as a site-survey tool. The device can output to any host over TTL/RS-232 (level-shifter built onboard) or using an onboard 802.15.4 2.4 GHz wireless link. A reference manual can be downloaded from our website. We are able to distribute gerber files to reproduce this device and offer example source code for various device applications. Please contact us for more information.
This PC application uses one or many of the RDS Receiver Modules described above and collects RDS reception statistics into a MySQL local database. The application is programmed in Java and was developed in the Eclipse programming environment. A MaxStream USB or serial interface board is required to act as a base station for the receiver modules. More information will be available in our final PIER report. The software is available as part of the RDS Receiver Module Download Package (see above).
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is in process of proposing code for the 2008 Title 24 Building Standards which will require the installation of programmable communicating thermostats (PCT's) to enable demand response (DR) in newly constructed and retrofit residences. The capability of installed PCT's allows utilities and service providers to dispatch air conditioning load curtailments from residential customers during peak periods to address economic or reliability conditions within the electricity grid. This is crucial to the state because during peak times, residential air conditioning accounts for about 15% of the system load - and temporary load reductions of as little as 2% of the system load can address most supply, voltage, or frequency imbalances on the system. California's2006 July heatwave urgently demonstrated the need for this capability, effecting record temperatures across the state, corresponding records in peak load (50,085 MW for the state on July 24, 2006), and blackouts for tens-of-thousands of residents statewide. The potential for "negawatts" obtainable by aggregating reductions in air conditioning load are important because 5 GW of the peak load, above 45 GW, occurred only 0.65% of the year in 2006. Capacity payments for this amount reserve are likely to cost an order of magnitude more than a statewide PCT system. The UCB team seeks to facilitate Title 24 proceedings and assist the CEC and Title 24 stakeholders by researching technical feasibility, stability, and safety issues which arise from of Title 24 code development and systemic design of PCT networks.
This project is funded by the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program and is based out of the Center for Environmental Design Research (CEDR) at UC Berkeley.
| Principal Investigators David M. Auslander Richard M. White Paul K. Wright Researchers Project Coordinator |
Advisors Ron Hofmann (PIER) Gaymond Yee (CIEE) Consultants |
Alex Do
Project Coordinator
e-mail: do -at- oxy -dot- edu
510.643.9486
