Variable refrigerant flow, room air conditioner, and packaged air conditioner control systems with cost target optimization

A method comprising:

• obtaining a cost function that characterizes a cost of operating a cooling device over a future time period, the cooling device configured to affect an indoor air temperature of a space;
• obtaining a dataset comprising a plurality of data points relating to the space;
• determining a current state of the space by applying the dataset to a neural network configured to classify the current state of the space;
• selecting a temperature bound associated with the current state;
• augmenting the cost function to include a penalty term that increases the cost when the indoor air temperature violates the temperature bound;
• determining a temperature setpoint for each of a plurality of time steps in the future time period, the temperature setpoints achieving a target value of the cost function over the future time period;
• and
• controlling the cooling device to drive the indoor air temperature towards the temperature setpoint for a first time step of the plurality of time steps.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media containing program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining a cost function that characterizes a cost of operating cooling equipment over a future time period, the cooling equipment configured to affect an indoor air temperature of one or more buildings, the cooling equipment comprising one or more of a variable refrigerant flow system, a room air conditioning system, or a packaged air conditioning system;
• obtaining a dataset comprising a plurality of data points relating to the one or more buildings;
• determining a current state of the one or more buildings by applying the dataset to a neural network configured to classify the current state of the one or more buildings;
• selecting a temperature bound associated with the current state;
• augmenting the cost function to include a penalty term that increases the cost when the indoor air temperature violates the temperature bound;
• determining a temperature setpoint for each of a plurality of time steps in the future time period, the temperature setpoints achieving a target value of the cost function over the future time period;
• and
• controlling the cooling equipment to drive the indoor air temperature towards the temperature setpoint for a first time step of the plurality of time steps.