Lessons Learned from Field Demonstrations of Model Predictive Control and Reinforcement Learning for Residential and Commercial HVAC: A Review

A large body of simulation research suggests that model predictive control (MPC) and reinforcement learning (RL) for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) in residential and commercial buildings could reduce energy costs, pollutant emissions, and strain on power grids. Despite this potential, neither MPC nor RL has seen widespread industry adoption. Field demonstrations could accelerate MPC and RL adoption by providing real-world data that support the business case for deployment. Here we review 24 papers that document field demonstrations of MPC and RL in residential buildings and 80 in commercial buildings. After presenting demographic information – such as experiment scopes, locations, and durations – this paper analyzes experiment protocols and their influence on performance estimates. We find that 71