System and method of advanced digital economization

A system utilizing advanced economizer strategies to reduce energy used by an indoor building space, the system comprising:

• an HVAC assembly configured to provide heating, cooling, ventilation, and economization functions to the indoor building space;
• an economizer that provides the economizer function, the economizer including at least one damper to outside air, the damper configured to operate between a closed and open position when the economizer receives a signal from a controller, wherein the open position is by percentage, the economizer being interconnected to the ventilation functions of the HVAC assembly;
• a space sensor configured to sense an indoor temperature of the indoor building space;
• the controller being configured to receive sensor data, receive input data from the HVAC assembly that indicates an operating mode, and can send data to the HVAC assembly for the purposes of operating the ventilation, heating, cooling function, or economization functions, the controller being further configured to predictively operate the economizer in a predictive cooling mode;
• and
• the controller being further configured to:
• compare the sensed indoor temperature with a dead-band range having a heating setpoint and a cooling setpoint, the cooling setpoint being greater than the heating setpoint;
• and
• operate the economizer when the sensed indoor temperature is greater than the heating setpoint, is less than the cooling setpoint, and is increasing, to introduce outside air through the economizer to the indoor building space and to cool the indoor building space prior to a call for cooling being generated when the sensed indoor temperature of the of the indoor building space becomes greater than the cooling setpoint.

A system that uses advanced economizer strategies to reduce energy used by an indoor building space, the system comprising:

• an HVAC assembly configured to provide heating, cooling, and ventilation functions to the indoor building space, wherein the HVAC assembly includes a variable speed fan;
• a controller configured to receive sensor data, receive input data from the HVAC assembly that indicates an operating mode, and send data to the HVAC assembly to operate and monitor the heating, cooling, and ventilation functions;
• an economizer configured to provide an economization function, wherein the economizer includes at least one damper to outside air;
• and
• an outside air sensor configured to sense an outside air temperature and transmit data representing the outside air temperature to the controller;
• and
• an inside air sensor configured to sense an inside air temperature of the indoor building space and transmit data representing the inside air temperature to the controller;
• wherein:
• the controller is further configured to compare the sensed indoor temperature with a dead-band range having a heating setpoint and a cooling setpoint, the cooling setpoint being greater than the heating setpoint;
• and
• when the controller determines that the sensed indoor temperature is greater than the heating setpoint, is less than the cooling setpoint, and is increasing, the controller is configured to:
• (i) operate the economizer in a predictive cooling mode to introduce outside air to the indoor building space prior to a call for cooling being received when the sensed indoor temperature becomes greater than the cooling setpoint and (ii) maintaining a determined target airflow through the economizer by (i) increasing an opening of the at least one damper and (ii) decreasing a speed of the variable speed fan.