Price-Signal-Based HPWH Controller

This repository contains the code and input files used to simulate a price-responsive control strategy for Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWHs) using the OCHRE simulation framework.

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Getting Started

1. Install OCHRE

To begin, install the OCHRE platform by following the steps in the official user tutorial:

OCHRE User Tutorial (Google Colab)

Note: It is highly recommended to install OCHRE locally (e.g., in Visual Studio Code) rather than running it in Colab. All simulations in this repository were performed using a local setup.

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2. Download Input Files

The repository includes input files required to run the simulations:

• .xml: Defines the building and equipment properties.
• .csv: Contains the water usage schedule.
• .epw: Includes weather data in EnergyPlus Weather format.

Make sure to place these files in the correct directories as specified in each script.

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3. Download the HPWH model

• hpwh_model.py: HPWH model script that has to be placed in the same directory as the run_dwelling.py script placed in the default path of OCHRE

4. Run the Controller

The controller includes both single-day and multi-day simulation options:

Single-Day Simulation

• sd_price_based_control.py: A basic script that runs a simulation using one water draw profile.

Multi-Day Simulation

• md_price_based_control.py: Simulates using a single water draw profile across multiple days.
• md_large_scale_simulations.py: Simulates using eight diverse water draw profiles for a broader evaluation.

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5. Analyze Results

Once a simulation is complete:

• Move the output results to your preferred analysis environment.
• Run the appropriate result analysis script (provided in this repo) to assess:
  • Energy savings
  • Cost reduction
  • Load shifting performance
  • Statistical significance

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Additional OCHRE Resources

For more information about OCHRE, visit the following links:

• NREL OCHRE Project Page
• OCHRE GitHub Repository
• OCHRE Documentation