Scalable Occupant-Centric HVAC Control in Accommodations Using Individual Preference and Global Thermal Comfort Database

Eikichi Ono, Wataru Umishio, Kuniaki Mihara, Taizo Shimo, Yutaka Shoji, KENJI OGAWA

Keywords: Occupant-centric HVAC control, Personal comfort model, Accommodation, Scalability

TL;DR: This study presents a scalable HVAC control framework for accommodations that personalizes comfort using guest profiles and setpoint behavior, reducing manual adjustments by 37% in field trials.

Abstract: To facilitate the practical implementation of occupant-centric HVAC control (OCC) that reflects individual thermal comfort, ensuring scalability and validating performance through real-world deployment are critical. This study proposes a scalable OCC framework tailored for accommodations, which generates an initial comfort model at check-in using a public thermal comfort database and guest profile data, then personalizes it during the stay based on temperature setpoint adjustments. The system was deployed in an accommodation facility in Japan and evaluated in a four-night field experiment with 20 participants. Results showed a 37% reduction in daily setpoint adjustments (from 4.9 to 3.1 times per person), suggesting enhanced thermal comfort. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework and its potential for enhancement through broader deployment and data accumulation.

Submission Number: 4