arXiv Machine Learning

Very Exciting: Zero-Shot Model Predictive Control of Buildings via Excitation-Based Generalized Transfer Learning Models

The paper presents a zero‑shot model predictive control (MPC) approach for buildings that uses excitation‑based generalized transfer learning models. By pretraining on purposefully probed operational data from multiple source buildings, the authors demonstrate that these models achieve superior control performance in 32 simulated target buildings, outperforming both an online linear MPC and a PI controller. This method eliminates the need for target‑specific data, reducing setup cost and facilitating broader deployment of energy‑efficient MPC in the building sector.

arXiv AI
Jul 21

Building2Building: A Large Scale Benchmark for Generalizable Real-World Reinforcement Learning

arXiv:2607. 16534v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Reinforcement learning (RL) has achieved strong results in control, yet learned policies remain brittle to changes in dynamics, action spaces, observation spaces, or goals, a critical limitation for real-world deployment.

By Vincent Taboga, Justin Veilleux, Doseok Jang, Anushree Rankawat, Pierre-Luc Bacon
arXiv Machine Learning
Jul 20

Comparative Field Deployment of Reinforcement Learning and Model Predictive Control for Residential HVAC

arXiv:2510. 01475v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Model Predictive Control (MPC) has demonstrated significant performance improvements over today's control methods for residential Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), but deploying MPC often requires substantial engineering effort.

By Ozan Baris Mulayim, Elias N. Pergantis, Levi D. Reyes Premer, Bingqing Chen, Guannan Qu, Kevin J. Kircher, Mario Berg\'es
arXiv Machine Learning
Jun 3

RESCAST-100K: A Comprehensive Dataset for Cross-Domain Residential Load and Indoor Temperature Forecasting

arXiv:2606. 02852v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Accurate short-term forecasting of residential energy load and indoor temperature is essential for home energy management systems, grid-level demand response, and community energy efficiency efforts.

By Jainam Dhruva, Yousaf Raza, A. B. Siddique, Simone Silvestri
arXiv AI
Jun 2

Explainable Data-driven Deep Reinforcement Learning Methods for Optimal Energy Management in Buildings

arXiv:2606. 02049v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The increasing integration of renewable energy sources into power systems, particularly in buildings equipped with photovoltaic (PV) panels and energy storage systems, introduces significant complexity in energy systems.

By Hallah Shahid Butt, Qiong Huang, G\"okhan Demirel, Kevin F\"orderer, Erfan Tajalli-Ardekani, Simnon Waczowicz, Luigi Spatafora, Veit Hagenmeyer, Benjamin Sch\"afer
arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 10

Generalizing HVAC Control With Domain Randomized Reinforcement Learning

The paper introduces NOMAD‑RL, a reinforcement learning controller for HVAC systems that learns to adapt across diverse thermal zones via a universal thermostat interface. It employs an adaptive domain randomization scheme using physics‑informed normalizing flows to generate realistic, multimodal training data, enabling the recurrent policy to handle partial observability. Experiments show NOMAD‑RL outperforms constant‑setpoint PID and non‑randomized RL, and rivals well‑tuned model predictive control, especially in multi‑zone scenarios.

By Pablo Boitel, Kun Zhang
arXiv Machine Learning
Aug 10

Fast and Accurate: An Adaptive VLA Inference Framework through Environment-aware Model Selection

arXiv:2608. 06434v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Embodied intelligence demands both long-horizon reasoning and real-time closed-loop responsiveness.

By Yuewei Sun, Lang Qin, Zechuan Tian, Jingwen Li, Guiqin Wang, Shengzeng Huo, Wenxin Ren, Tao Fang, Xiaochen Zhang, Guanqing Deng, Xiang Wang, Xiaowen Dong, Qinghai Guo, Yuxin Ma