Quantifying the Energy Floor: Direct Measurement and Replay Buffer Bias in SAC-Based HVAC Control on sbsim
arXiv:2606.01665v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We quantify the energy floor -- the minimum achievable cost given action space constraints -- for Soft Actor-Critic (SAC) HVAC control on the sbsim calibrated building simulator. Through minimum-action experiments, we directly measure this floor at USD 35.51/day, dominated by continuous electrical loads (USD 35.44, 99.8%) with negligible gas consumption. The standard SAC baseline, initialized with schedule-policy replay buffer transitions, converges to USD 37.18/day, 4.7% above the floor. We identify buffer initialization as the dominant source o
The increasing focus on energy efficiency in AI operations and real-world autonomous systems like HVAC control makes quantifying energy consumption and optimization critical for future deployments.
This research provides a direct measurement of theoretical energy minimums and highlights specific inefficiencies in current AI control strategies, offering clear pathways for significant cost and carbon reductions in critical infrastructure.
Understanding that replay buffer initialization significantly impacts energy efficiency provides a target for developers to improve SAC-based control systems, moving beyond general optimization towards targeted interventions.
- · AI/ML researchers and developers
- · Smart building technology providers
- · HVAC system manufacturers
- · Energy efficiency consulting firms
- · Traditional HVAC control systems
- · Building operators with unoptimized energy consumption
- · Energy providers due to reduced demand if widespread adoption occurs
More energy-efficient AI-driven HVAC systems will be developed, leading to lower operating costs for buildings.
The methodology for quantifying energy floors and identifying specific sources of inefficiency will be applied to other energy-intensive AI-controlled systems.
Widespread deployment of these optimized systems could contribute meaningfully to grid stability and climate goals by reducing overall energy demand from the built environment.
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