Review on the development of personal thermal management in buildings: Thermal comfort evaluation and energy saving potentials

Unified building thermal environment control fails to reconcile personalized thermal comfort with energy efficiency. With continuous advancements in human microenvironment heating and cooling technologies and novel functional materials, related research is rapidly evolving. This paper aims to review the latest research progress on personal thermal management (PTM) and personal comfort systems (PCS). It unifies these approaches, introducing the new concept of personal micro-environment control (PMEC), with a focus on its potential for thermal comfort and energy saving. Based on the current state of research and application of related technologies, key issues constraining the field’s development are identified. First, theories and models of human thermal comfort are summarized and compared. Then, PMEC is comprehensively classified and reviewed from the perspective of three heat transfer modes: conduction, convection, and radiation. The improvements in thermal comfort and energy consumption associated with different PMEC technologies are specifically highlighted. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of PMEC technologies based on different heat transfer mechanisms are contrasted, identifying technical barriers and development prospects for PMEC. This study systematically summarizes the latest research progress in individual-centered PMEC technologies, which lays the foundation and points out the direction for future related research.