Mainstreaming Personal Comfort Devices: Enabling Modular Personal Controls for a Wide Range of Energy and Comfort Applications
The Regents of the University of California on behalf of the Berkeley campus
Recipient
Berkeley, CA
Recipient Location
9th
Senate District
14th
Assembly District
Active
Project Status
Project Update
In 2025 the research team developed a new printed circut board sandwich design for the low-energy nanotube fabric hand warmer and is worked on final enclosure design; the team conducted pilot testing to evaluate heating effectiveness. The team also iterated on a design of a heated/cooled wrist desktop pad. The team iterated on the design of the Personal Comfort Device Hub (PCD Hub), adding sensors, lights, screen, and an interface. Research members completed the interviews and outlined use cases. The team is working on control algorithms at the PCD-Hub and Hub-Building Management System (BMS) levels, preparing for lab tests in 2026.
The Issue
Personal Comfort Devices (PCDs)—small appliances that provide thermal comfort to individuals—have not gained much traction in the market. Barriers include: limited availability of efficient PCDs that are convenient for office use, lack of knowledge about how to specify PCDs in commercial buildings, the need to involve various stakeholders in accepting, adopting, and maintaining PCDs (e.g., manufacturers, standards organizations, design professionals, and estate and facilities operators), and lack of integration with building controls. Coordinating PCDs with plug loads and building control systems can reduce energy use and also shift loads in response to grid needs.
Project Innovation
The project will 1) develop and test two new PCDs using a) a new nanostructured carbon heating fabric for leg/feet/hand warming, b) thermoelectric devices (TE) for hand warming and cooling, and c) an infra-red LED device for radiantly heating hands efficiently; 2) develop a Personal Control Hub with sensors, fan, and network including automated thermal preference learning, 3) create and test the customizable Personal Control Ecosystem that integrates the PC Hub with other PCDs, other devices, and/or building management system, and 4) create a web-based PCD Design Guidebook for HVAC engineers and real estate managers to specify the best PCD for their application and context.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
This project benefits CA IOU ratepayers through greater comfort, enabling peak load shedding and shifting to improve electric grid resilience and reduced emissions, reduced energy consumption (and lower bills), potential equipment cost reduction, and withstanding climate change-driven extreme weather events, such as heat waves or ice storms. A PCD provides a much lower energy-intensive solution to personal comfort—3 to 30 watts of power for fans and efficient nanofabric heaters, compared to thousands of watts of traditional whole building air conditioning and boiler systems. PCDs and sensors integrated with building HVAC systems can reduce overall HVAC energy consumption and lower energy costs. Coordinating PCDs with building control systems can shift peak HVAC energy consumption while maintaining comfort, thus improving grid resilience and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from peaker plants. Finally, PCDs can provide emergency thermal comfort when building HVAC systems fail, providing increased safety during extended heat waves or cold spells.
Consumer Appeal
When PCDs and sensors are coordinated with building HVAC systems, the overall HVAC setpoints can be relaxed to reduce HVAC energy consumption; people in general prefer control over their immediate environment
Reliability
A PCD provides a much lower energy-intensive solution to personal comfort—3-30 watts of power for fans and efficient nanofabric heaters and thermoelectric devices, compared to thousands of watts of traditional whole building air conditioning and boiler systems.
Safety
PCDs can provide emergency thermal comfort when building HVAC systems fail, providing increased safety and personal resilience during extended heat waves or cold spells
Key Project Members
Therese Peffer
