System and method for controlling HVAC equipment so as to obtain a desired range of a sound pressure level and/or sound power level

A heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

• a device disposed in a ductwork providing conditioned air to a zone of a building conditioned by the HVAC system, the device including one or more of a microphone, a thermometer, an accelerometer, a motion sensor, and an amplifier, the ductwork being in fluid communication with the zone, but physically outside of the zone;
• and
• a controller that:
• receives feedback from the device;
• obtains one or more of a range a sound pressure level and a range of a sound power level by operating equipment in the HVAC system;
• controls an operating state of at least one of a supply fan, a return fan, an exhaust fan, a damper, and a cooling coil to achieve the desired range of sound pressure level and/or the sound power level when in an occupied state, wherein the controller prioritizes maintaining the desired range of sound pressure level and/or the sound power level over maintaining a space condition, and
• in an unoccupied state, controls the operating state of at least one of the supply fan, the return fan, the exhaust fan, the damper, and the cooling coil to achieve the space condition, wherein the controller prioritizes maintaining the space condition over maintaining the desired range of sound pressure level and/or the sound power level.

A method, comprising:

• operating a single-zone variable air volume (VAV) system of a building, the operating including:
• monitoring a sound level of a supply air fan for the single-zone VAV system using a microphone disposed in a ductwork providing conditioned air to a controlled space of the single-zone VAV system, the ductwork being in fluid communication with the controlled space, but physically outside of the controlled space;
• in an occupied state,
• controlling a sound level from the supply air fan by controlling a speed of the supply air fan, the supply air fan being disposed within the ductwork;
• and
• modulating a cooling capacity of a cooling coil using a thermostat associated with the controlled space of the single-zone VAV system, thereby controlling a temperature of supply air entering the controlled space, wherein maintaining the sound level is prioritized over controlling the temperature of the supply air entering the controlled space;
• and
• in an unoccupied state,
• modulating the cooling capacity of the cooling coil using the thermostat associated with the controlled space of the single-zone VAV system, thereby controlling the temperature of supply air entering the controlled space, wherein controlling the temperature of the supply air entering the controlled space is prioritized over maintaining the sound level.