Modeling and spatial visualization of indoor micro-climates for personalized thermal comfort

Abstract

The indoor thermal environment is conventionally considered homogeneous as anchored on a universal thermal comfort paradigm, although occupants' experience is often diversified and influenced by several physio-cognitive factors. Personal comfort devices aim to enhance thermal comfort acceptance through localized heating and cooling while reducing overall energy consumption as temperature set-points of centralized HVAC systems can be relaxed. To further incentivize the adoption of distributed HVAC systems, it is critical to examine the energy benefits and the spatial characteristics of heterogeneous thermal environments. Here we developed a parametric framework based on building energy modeling coupled with a spatial visualization of micro-climatic thermal fields, which respond to a variable space occupation. HVAC system loads and indoor environmental conditions, extracted from the energy model, are integrated with an analysis of the human thermal balance. As a case study, a thermoelectric-based system for personalized thermal comfort was considered in an office space, based on a specific layout of workstations and meeting rooms. The contribution of distributed heating and cooling systems to the overall HVAC energy consumption was analyzed for the office, and the micro-climatic variability was visualized based on transient occupation patterns. Understanding the impact of variable occupation for the building energy balance is significant for developing performative metrics for next-generation distributed HVAC systems. At the same time, it can inform novel design strategies based on micro-climatic controls to maximize personalized thermal comfort and enhance the quality of indoor environments. KEYWORDS indoor micro-climates, energy modeling, responsive environments, personalized thermal comfort, thermal field visualization.