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What price to pay? Auto-tuning a building MPC controller for optimal economic cost

Systems and Control 2026-05-05 v2 Machine Learning Systems and Control Optimization and Control

Abstract

Demand-side management (DSM) programs introduce complex pricing, requiring advanced control for cost minimization. Model Predictive Control (MPC) offers a solution but its performance hinges on appropriate hyperparameter tuning. We propose using Constrained Bayesian Optimization (CONFIG) to automate this process. In a case study, our optimized MPC reduced electricity costs by 26.90% compared to a rule-based controller and by 17.46% versus an manually tuned MPC. Analysis of real contracts further showed that optimal DSM program selection can lower monthly bills by up to 20.18%, demonstrating a data-driven path to significant consumer savings.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2501.10859,
  title  = {What price to pay? Auto-tuning a building MPC controller for optimal economic cost},
  author = {Jiarui Yu and Jicheng Shi and Wenjie Xu and Colin N. Jones},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2501.10859},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

11 pages, 5 figures