Personalized Environmental Control Systems (PECS)

Nowadays, the building sector faces many challenges on occupant and resource levels. Given many indoor environmental quality (IEQ) complaints collected by field surveys, the first challenge is to provide comfort improvements. The second challenge is to be able to do so without unjustifiably increasing energy costs. The main reason why buildings face such issues is the implementation of IEQ management systems that target the entire space – even unoccupied zones. This doesn’t guarantee comfort and wastes building resources.

This session will begin with providing an overview of presence Personal Environmental Control Systems (PECS) related mention in various countries national codes and standards formulated by industry organizations. It will then articulate possible entry points for PECS in policy document such as building codes, health and safety code and voluntary building performance rating programs. Towards end, it will identify market barriers, market challenges and market opportunities that may aid widespread deployment of PECS.  

Personal Environmental Control Systems (PECS) enable to individually control the environment in the immediate surroundings of an occupant regarding the thermal, air quality, acoustic, and/or luminous domain without directly influencing the entire space and other occupants’ environment. Although many studies on the influence on the respective comfort and acceptance in relation to the different domains already exist and estimates of energy savings have already been made, PECS have not yet established themselves on the market across the board.

This summary highlights the benefits of PECS for occupants’ health, comfort, and cognitive performance. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, focusing on terms related to personalised conditioning, air quality, lighting, and acoustics. Relevant studies were identified and reviewed.