Patent ID: 8096140

Claim:
A method for operating a system comprising an economizer having a damper for varying an amount of outdoor air introduced into a building, and having a mechanical temperature control element that removes heat from air provided to the building, the damper and the mechanical temperature control element being regulated by a computer controller in communication with at least two temperature sensors, the method comprising: the computer controller performing the steps of: providing a first operating state of the system which regulates the damper using an extremum seeking control to minimize the load on the mechanical temperature control element; providing at least a second operating state of the system which regulates the damper without using the extremum seeking control; receiving a plurality of sensor inputs from the at least two temperature sensors; computing at least a first transition boundary between the first operating state and the second operating state of the system, based upon the received sensor inputs; and transitioning from the first operating state to the second operating state in response to a comparison between the computed first transition boundary and at least one of the plurality of sensor inputs, and sending a control signal to an actuator for the damper based upon the operating state selected; the method further comprising the actuator for the damper operating the damper according to the control signal sent to the actuator by the computer controller.