Adaptive comfort technology for temperature control in balanced ventilation systems

Adaptive comfort technology is reflecting the fact that the human body adapts to changing temperatures. As such, the temperature level where people feel comfortable is not a constant value, but changes with the seasonal variations of indoor and outdoor temperatures. 
In balanced ventilation systems, the desired indoor temperature can be changed by the occupant of a dwelling, to meet the personal demand on comfort. For balanced ventilation systems without postconditioning this indoor temperature setpoint regulates the use of the bypass, in order to temporarily reduce heat and moisture recovery partially or fully. For balanced ventilation systems with postconditioning, the desired indoor temperature does not only influence the bypass behaviour (passive cooling and heating) but also regulates the postheating and/or the postcooling of the supply air (active cooling and heating).  
While occupants can set a fixed indoor temperature, adaptive temperature control is preferable. This method adjusts indoor temperature based on average outdoor temperatures, preventing excessive energy use for space cooling and consequently reducing costs. Moreover, the human body is still object to temperature changes during the year and therefore less sensitive to sudden temperature changes such as in heat waves. 
This study describes the basic idea of the implementation of adaptive comfort technology in balanced ventilation units, with and without postconditioning. From monitored projects, examples are given how the indoor temperature setpoint of adaptive temperature control varies in time. Data is given how the bypass and the postconditioning react to changing indoor temperature setpoint. The combination of bypass and postconditioning influences the supply temperature of the fresh air, and ultimately influences the indoor temperature to comfortable levels.