Investigation of control characteristics in multi-user building heating system based on demand-side adjustment

Multi-user heating buildings based on demand-side adjustment have substantial potential in terms of energy savings and heat efficiency. The former heating system is generally controlled by considering the heating building as a whole. However, the original adjustment method is difficult to apply when there are several independent heat demand users in the building. In this background, this study established a hydrothermal coupled multi-level control model of a multi-user building heating system according to the actual situation of a multi-user heating building. In addition, it investigated the adjustment characteristics between user and building to effectively control the system. The results showed that the adjustment mode has a negligible effect on the room temperature and energy consumption for radiant floor heating systems and radiator heating systems. The control period had a large influence on the adjustment of the multi-user building heating system. The response time of the radiant floor heating system was over 4 h and that of the radiator system was less than 30 min. When the average indoor temperature reduced by 1 ℃, the energy-savings rate of the radiant floor heating system increased by 8.6 %, and that of the radiator heating system increased by 6.7 %. This study provides a basis for formulating and implementing control strategies in multi-user building heating systems.