A Holistic Approach for Heating and Ventilation Control in EEBs

Internet of Things (IoT) and Big data technologies combined with context-driven control could play an important role in developing approaches for reducing energy consumption while maintaining occupants' comfort in smart buildings. For instance, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC) are the most used systems for maintaining the thermal comfort inside buildings, however, they are considered among the main electricity consuming systems. Therefore, adopting new approaches for minimizing energy consumption seems to be the relevant solution. Renewable energy sources, such as geothermal energy is a promising technique that could be integrated together with the HVAC systems in order to save energy. In this paper, we propose a new approach towards an integrated system using Earth to Air Heat exchanger together with active HVAC systems operated and controlled by IoT and Big Data technologies. An experimental setup is discussed to highlight its components and usefulness towards energy saving in smart buildings.