Advanced Control Strategies with Simulations for a Typical District Heating System to Approaching Energy Efficiency Buildings

District heating systems (DHSs) are very common and important in cold areas in the world not only because of the huge energy consumption including kinds of fuel, electricity and water but also due to thermal comfort of all customers. To increase the energy efficiency and improve heating quality within the operational period, suitable and optimal control strategy should be applied for the DHSs. Thus, in this chapter, a typical DHS is designed. Based on the DHS information, a dynamic model is developed by using thermodynamic principles and corrected according to the measured operational data from real systems. The DHS properties are simulated by utilizing the open-loop tests (OLTs) of the developed actual dynamic model. System performance of operation, energy consumption and zone air temperature are addressed for several control strategies. Based on the energy consumed and indoor air temperature response, average water temperature set point corrected by equivalent outside air temperature (Case 4) and indoor air temperature control directly (Case 5) are considered, which are the best cases of optimal operation in the DHS.