Adaptive Model-Based Transfer Learning for Dynamic HVAC Control

Abstract

In this paper, we aim to automate the adjustment of air handling unit (AHU) setpoints within heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maintain indoor temperatures at user-specified levels. A key challenge lies in obtaining sufficient high-quality sensor data from real buildings. To address this, we explore transfer learning and leverage simulation software to generate training data. We propose an adaptive model-based transfer learning approach for dynamic HVAC control, where the agent directly controls the source domain under conditions identical to the target domain. This eliminates the need for extensive target-specific knowledge to define data generation schedules and reduces the risk of collecting irrelevant samples, while also providing greater flexibility during learning. At the control level, we enhance performance through physics rule embedding, which ensures physical consistency, and long-term-aware setpoint selection strategy, which mitigates abrupt setpoint changes. Finally, to accelerate and stabilize deployment in new buildings, we enable knowledge transfer directly between similar real-world buildings, reducing the need to construct virtual source domains repeatedly.