Introducing the concept of Acoustic Personalised Environmental Control systems (Acoustic PECS) within the framework of IEA EBC Annex 87

The availability of systems that can locally adjust environmental parameters holds the potential to enhance building occupant satisfaction by considering individual sensitivities, expectations, and needs. To this aim, Personalised Environmental Control Systems (PECS) are being studied as solutions that can provide individually controlled environments in the immediate surroundings of an occupant, without affecting directly the entire space and other occupants' environment. The concept has been primarily developed to address individual control of the thermal environment and perceived air quality, as in chairs with heating/cooling functions and desks equipped with personalized ventilation systems. By extending the concept of PECS to the acoustic domain, a framework on Acoustic PECS is here introduced and exemplified. The study builds on ongoing research within the IEA EBC - Annex 87, dedicated to investigating the Energy and Indoor Environmental Quality Performance of Personalised Environmental Control Systems.