Control strategies for integration of thermal energy storage into buildings: State-of-the-art review

• Little study reviews control strategies for buildings integrated with TES (BITES).
• This study reviews typical control techniques utilized in BITES.
• This study reviews different control strategies adopted in BITES.
• Further recommendations for developing more efficient strategies are made.

Thermal energy storage (TES), together with control strategies, plays an increasingly important role in expanding the use of renewables and shifting peak energy demand in buildings. Different control strategies have been developed for the integration of TES into building-related systems, mainly including building envelopes, HVAC systems and hot water tanks (HTWs). A systematic survey of control strategies using TES in the building-related systems is still lacking. This paper presents a comprehensive review of these control strategies. It provides a summary of the applied strategies and makes recommendations for future studies. Considering that control techniques serve as a basis for the implementation of control strategies, typical control techniques utilized in the building systems, as well as their strengths and weaknesses associated with the application, are also introduced to help users gain a better understanding.