Yura: The emphasis on energy savings stems from the recent major themes of ensuring a stable supply of energy, promoting the mitigation of global warming, and achieving carbon neutrality. In pursuit of these, we discover that among electrical devices air conditioners consume a significant amount of energy and impose high environmental impact.
Because air conditioners account for the majority of the electricity consumed in buildings (offices, etc.), air conditioners that save energy are especially important for achieving the environmental goals set by governments and companies.
NEWS
Achieving AC Energy Savings with AI: Automatic Energy Tuning Using Heat Load Predictions
FEATURE
2025.05.14
Daikin Industries, Ltd. has recently developed a new air conditioning service called "Remote Automatic Energy-Saving Control" that utilizes AI technology. The basic mechanism enables AI to learn from data obtained from sensors installed in the air conditioner together meteorological information to predict the heat load that the air conditioner will need to manage and then formulates a method for its efficient operation.
In this article, we speak with Yoshinori Yura and Koutaou Yoshida of the Daikin Technology and Innovation Center (TIC) who explain the background behind this project, its development objectives, and some of the episodes surrounding it.
In this article, we speak with Yoshinori Yura and Koutaou Yoshida of the Daikin Technology and Innovation Center (TIC) who explain the background behind this project, its development objectives, and some of the episodes surrounding it.
Energy-Saving Measures for Air Conditioners
——AC power reductions greatly contribute to carbon neutrality
——Actual operating environment affects energy savings for air conditioners
Yoshida: The environments in which air conditioners operate differ according to building and application. For example, when indoor units are delivered to a hospital or office, they are often installed in various room settings, such as a large lobbies and small individual rooms, and the set temperature and operating times will also vary.Under such conditions, the heat load processed by the air conditioner will depend on such factors as outdoor temperature, weather, and indoor set temperature, all of which can change from day to day and hour by hour. From these, the air conditioner adjusts its air conditioning capacity using general feedback control to bring the current room temperature close to the set temperature.
However, adjusting the air conditioning to the heat load, which varies from building to building or from moment to moment, can be tricky, and this can result in repeated fluctuations in room temperature, causing people discomfort and wastefully consuming energy. Additionally, there are cases where rooms that had been expected to be frequently used at the time of facility design are actually used infrequently, and where facility management is lacking, and people forget to turn off the air conditioners.
Yoshida: The environments in which air conditioners operate differ according to building and application. For example, when indoor units are delivered to a hospital or office, they are often installed in various room settings, such as a large lobbies and small individual rooms, and the set temperature and operating times will also vary.Under such conditions, the heat load processed by the air conditioner will depend on such factors as outdoor temperature, weather, and indoor set temperature, all of which can change from day to day and hour by hour. From these, the air conditioner adjusts its air conditioning capacity using general feedback control to bring the current room temperature close to the set temperature.
However, adjusting the air conditioning to the heat load, which varies from building to building or from moment to moment, can be tricky, and this can result in repeated fluctuations in room temperature, causing people discomfort and wastefully consuming energy. Additionally, there are cases where rooms that had been expected to be frequently used at the time of facility design are actually used infrequently, and where facility management is lacking, and people forget to turn off the air conditioners.
This makes improving the efficiency of energy consumed throughout the building, including air conditioners, and promoting energy savings urgent issues. Similarly, the introduction of a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) is considered important as a countermeasure.
BEMS is a building management system that centrally manages the operation status of facility equipment, including energy usage, to "visualize" the actual energy consumption and optimize equipment control and operation. It is expected to make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions by fully utilizing the acquired data and IT technology to identify areas for improvement in equipment operation and implementing optimal energy-saving measures according to each customer's situation.
BEMS is a building management system that centrally manages the operation status of facility equipment, including energy usage, to "visualize" the actual energy consumption and optimize equipment control and operation. It is expected to make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions by fully utilizing the acquired data and IT technology to identify areas for improvement in equipment operation and implementing optimal energy-saving measures according to each customer's situation.
What's the Daikin Approach to Energy Savings?
Yura: In 2021, Daikin began selling DK-CONNECT, a cloud-based air conditioning management service that improves comfort, reduces energy consumption, and eases administrative workload to meet the diverse needs of each customer throughout the lifecycle of air conditioning equipment in the introduction, operation, maintenance, and replacement of commercial-use air conditioners in buildings, commercial facilities, hospitals, and other commercial applications.
Energy-saving support services of DK-CONNECT include energy visualization, an energy-saving simulation feature showing reduction potential, interlocking control between devices, and demand control. In addition to these, we have newly developed remote automatic energy-saving control, which remotely optimizes and automates the control of air conditioners as a finely tuned, energy-saving technology that only an air conditioning manufacturer can provide.
Energy-saving support services of DK-CONNECT include energy visualization, an energy-saving simulation feature showing reduction potential, interlocking control between devices, and demand control. In addition to these, we have newly developed remote automatic energy-saving control, which remotely optimizes and automates the control of air conditioners as a finely tuned, energy-saving technology that only an air conditioning manufacturer can provide.
Development of Remote Auto Energy-Saving Management Using AI
——Basis of AC control balances heat load and AC capacity
Fig. 1 "Remote Auto Energy-Saving Control" equipped with a heat load model
Yura: This remote auto energy-saving control that we developed utilizes three core technologies
● Technology for automatically creating/updating building heat load prediction models
● Heat load prediction technology
● Predictive control (feed forward control) technology
This remote automatic energy saving control predicts the heat load of the air conditioning space based on operational data and performs automatic tuning of the optimal control settings beforehand to balance the heat load of the space with air conditioning capacity. This facilitates the supply of air conditioning capacity corresponding to the heat load of the space under actual operating conditions for even greater energy-efficient operation than the equipment could achieve alone.
Fig. 1 "Remote Auto Energy-Saving Control" equipped with a heat load model——Key technical points are highly accurate heat load prediction and thorough energy savings
Fig. 2 Details of Remote Auto Energy-Saving Control
※The information and profiles are based on the time of the interview.
※1. Commercial Air Conditioner Remote Monitoring Service "Air Net Service System"
※2. Remote Automatic Energy-Saving Control in DK-CONNECT
Yoshida: When thinking about the actual heat load for each installation, you need to first imagine a room like the one in Fig. 2. The main factors relating to the heat flow enters and leaves the room are as follows:
● Heat from sunlight entering through windows
●Heat entering/leaving due to differences in room and outdoor temperatures
● Heat entering/leaving through drafts and ventilations systems
● Heat generated by people and office equipment
When all these factors for the heat load that the air conditioner has to process are considered, highly accurate heat load predictions can be achieved.Calculating these heat load factors requires knowing window and wall specifications, but because researching this information from building plans and registering the data in the system takes considerable time, this step was a major obstacle to commercialization. Additionally, information from the building plan that was obtained sometimes did not reflect subsequent changes in layout or renovation work, which led to the issue of inaccuracies.
To solve these problems, we devised a new method to effortlessly build a heat load model. It involves collecting the cooling capacities of the air conditioners under actual operating conditions as correct data and then learning the specifications of windows and walls for a small degree of error in the correct data. Because this method is fully automated, it is also possible to prevent deterioration in the performance of the model with periodic updating. As a result, we succeeded in automatically creating and updating a heat load model. Consequently, operational labor was reduced by about 90%, which led to commercialization. I believe that our meticulous pursuit of energy savings is the factor behind our breakthrough.
Fig. 2 Details of Remote Auto Energy-Saving ControlResults of Test Operations with Actual Customers
——Energy savings of 21% at Yamaha and 16% at BMW (Thailand)
Yura: To evaluate the technology that we developed, we conducted tests not only at our own Daikin facilities, but we worked also in cooperation with the business departments to test it at the facilities of customers who actually use our products. Of these, the test marketing at Yamaha (verification period: April 2023 to March 2024) revealed a particularly high reduction rate among the facilities measured up to now, with good results of over 20%. In addition to Japan, we also conducted test marketing at BMW in Thailand (verification period: January 2024 to June 2024), achieving a 16% reduction in power consumption.
Furthermore, according to the reports that we received, there has been no noticeable difference in comfort, both in heating and cooling, since introduction of this technology. These evaluations suggest that it is a technology that can effectively achieve energy savings without sacrificing comfort.
Fig. 3 Examples of "energy savings" for both Japan and overseas
Yura: To evaluate the technology that we developed, we conducted tests not only at our own Daikin facilities, but we worked also in cooperation with the business departments to test it at the facilities of customers who actually use our products. Of these, the test marketing at Yamaha (verification period: April 2023 to March 2024) revealed a particularly high reduction rate among the facilities measured up to now, with good results of over 20%. In addition to Japan, we also conducted test marketing at BMW in Thailand (verification period: January 2024 to June 2024), achieving a 16% reduction in power consumption.
Furthermore, according to the reports that we received, there has been no noticeable difference in comfort, both in heating and cooling, since introduction of this technology. These evaluations suggest that it is a technology that can effectively achieve energy savings without sacrificing comfort.
Fig. 3 Examples of "energy savings" for both Japan and overseasHaving a Sense of Purpose at Daikin
——Engineers who studied at DICT build a remote automation control system from the ground up
Yura: In developing this technology, Yoshida, who studied ICT education that included cloud computing at Daikin Information and Communications Technology College (DICT), used his specialized knowledge and worked with experts to build an enormous system from the ground up through trial and error.
Yoshida: I spent two years in training at DICT after entering the company. There I systematically learned specialized knowledge about AI and information technology. I was then assigned to TIC where I worked on the development of the remote automatic energy-saving control. Daikin has grown as a company from a business model based on one-time sales of air conditioners and mostly lacked basic knowledge about the cloud, which is the foundation of its solutions. I remember that I was a bit worried about developing solutions from the ground up, but having the opportunity for significant growth gave me a boost to my morale. The reason I was able to take on new challenges was because of Daikin's "culture that does not blame people for forward-looking failures."
Leveraging the knowledge that I had gained at DICT, I learned about the cloud and built the system through trial and error. I was entrusted with responsible work, even though I was a junior employee in my third or fourth year at the company. This leads me to think that education that I received at DICT was especially valuable.
Yura: In developing this technology, Yoshida, who studied ICT education that included cloud computing at Daikin Information and Communications Technology College (DICT), used his specialized knowledge and worked with experts to build an enormous system from the ground up through trial and error.
Yoshida: I spent two years in training at DICT after entering the company. There I systematically learned specialized knowledge about AI and information technology. I was then assigned to TIC where I worked on the development of the remote automatic energy-saving control. Daikin has grown as a company from a business model based on one-time sales of air conditioners and mostly lacked basic knowledge about the cloud, which is the foundation of its solutions. I remember that I was a bit worried about developing solutions from the ground up, but having the opportunity for significant growth gave me a boost to my morale. The reason I was able to take on new challenges was because of Daikin's "culture that does not blame people for forward-looking failures."
Leveraging the knowledge that I had gained at DICT, I learned about the cloud and built the system through trial and error. I was entrusted with responsible work, even though I was a junior employee in my third or fourth year at the company. This leads me to think that education that I received at DICT was especially valuable.
In the technology development theme that I was involved in this time, I was fortunate to be able to carry out POC (Proof of Concept) for both internal and external projects and commercialize them. In doing so, I could gain experience in the entire development process from seed to social implementation. Even if you develop good technology, it is meaningless if you do not implement it in society.
I learned that in order to connect good technology to business, it is important to envision a business image from the initial research phase. I would like to use this experience to continue to implement good technology in society
I learned that in order to connect good technology to business, it is important to envision a business image from the initial research phase. I would like to use this experience to continue to implement good technology in society
Future Outlook
——From adding more energy efficiency to various AC equipment to achieving carbon neutrality
Yura: The technology we have developed will be officially released as the Air Net Service System (※1) for commercial multi-split air conditioners in the fall of 2024 and as DK-CONNECT (※2) in the spring of 2025.
Having completed this project, we would like to apply this energy-saving technology that utilizes AI and IoT technology to a wide range of applications, from small-scale equipment such as room air conditioners to large-scale equipment such as centrifugal chillers. Through such developments, we hope to make air conditioners more energy-efficient around the world and contribute to achieving carbon neutrality.
※1. Commercial Air Conditioner Remote Monitoring Service "Air Net Service System"
※2. Remote Automatic Energy-Saving Control in DK-CONNECT
Yoshinori Yura
Senior Engineer, Technology and Innovation Center
Joined in April 2009. Originally from Osaka Prefecture.
Responsible for energy management and demand technology development using IoT and AI technologies.
"I want to contribute to society by achieving energy savings in air conditioners on a global scale."
Senior Engineer, Technology and Innovation Center
Joined in April 2009. Originally from Osaka Prefecture.
Responsible for energy management and demand technology development using IoT and AI technologies.
"I want to contribute to society by achieving energy savings in air conditioners on a global scale."
Kotaro Yoshida
Technology and Innovation Center
Joined in April 2018. Originally from Osaka Prefecture. Responsible for developing energy-saving technology for air conditioners using data.
"I would like to take on the challenge of developing energy-saving technologies that can only be realized as a manufacturer specializing in air conditioning and contribute to carbon neutrality."
Technology and Innovation Center
Joined in April 2018. Originally from Osaka Prefecture. Responsible for developing energy-saving technology for air conditioners using data.
"I would like to take on the challenge of developing energy-saving technologies that can only be realized as a manufacturer specializing in air conditioning and contribute to carbon neutrality."
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