This thesis will explore a new thermal control paradigm for smart building. At present thermal control in building is mostly based on maintaining the rooms temperature at a certain value (19-20 oC) by possibly taking into account the presence of people. However it has been shown that this is not ideal in terms of comfort as multiple studies have shown that on average 50% of building occupants are not satisfied by the current thermal environment control. This project will follow a totally different paradigm where occupants' comfort is the primary objective of the thermal control management while simultaneously reducing energy consumption as much as possible. We plan to consider Personal Comfort Systems which are typically office chars equipped with internal devices that can locally control the environment around the user (embedded resistors, small fans, etc..)  

and that can be connected with the room environment control system in order optimally regulate the temperature of the room.

This project will be a follow up of a recent MS thesis . The thesis is particularly suited for students enrolled in MS Control Systems Engineering. This project is in collaboration with Prof. Colin Jones at EPFL and might be of interest also for students planning to apply for a Ph.D. program after graduation.  For additional information please contact Prof. Luca Schenato schenato@dei.unipd.it