Heated vest: a personal comfort system to enhance thermal comfort and energy use

This work aims to enhance the thermal comfort of the occupants, while reducing the overall energy performance of the building. Buildings are responsible for 40% of the energy use in the world, out of which 50% is used for space heating and cooling. The recent energy crisis has pushed many people to energy poverty, as they can no longer afford space heating. Considering that reducing every degree setpoint of space heating can save 10% of the energy use, relaxing the thermostat a few degrees, while wearing the heated clothing has the potential to save on energy bills. This work proposes the use of heated vests as a means to heat the person, rather than the building. The heated vest is operated by a rechargeable battery and it has limited energy use. Field test studies of thermal comfort were applied in two buildings, comfort surveys and environmental measurements were applied and 84 responses were collected. Occupants were exposed to low room temperatures as low as 13°C, while their thermal comfort and satisfaction levels were measured before and after wearing a heated vest. The results suggested a significant increase in the thermal comfort and satisfaction of the occupants.