arXiv AI
Aug 24

From Thermal Preference Prediction to Adaptive Thermal Intervention: A Reinforcement Learning Approach Using Physiological and Environmental Sensing

The paper proposes a two-stage personalized thermal comfort system that combines multimodal physiological and environmental sensing with reinforcement learning for decision-making. It aims to move beyond static HVAC setpoints and generic comfort models by tailoring thermal interventions to individual physiological variability. The approach seeks to improve occupant wellbeing and enable more responsive building-control strategies.

By Isibor Kennedy Ihianle, Emmanuel Manu, Ehsan Asnaashari, Mojgan Jadidi, Pedro Machado, Amrit Sagoo, Ahmad Lotfi
arXiv Machine Learning
Jul 20

Comparative Field Deployment of Reinforcement Learning and Model Predictive Control for Residential HVAC

arXiv:2510. 01475v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Model Predictive Control (MPC) has demonstrated significant performance improvements over today's control methods for residential Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), but deploying MPC often requires substantial engineering effort.

By Ozan Baris Mulayim, Elias N. Pergantis, Levi D. Reyes Premer, Bingqing Chen, Guannan Qu, Kevin J. Kircher, Mario Berg\'es
arXiv AI
Sep 7

Large Language Models for HVAC Operations in Building Energy Systems: A Critical Review of Methods, Applications, and Deployment Readiness

The paper reviews 66 studies on large language models (LLMs) applied to HVAC operations in building energy systems, categorizing them by application and method families and evaluating their evidence realism and deployment readiness. It finds that most work focuses on building energy modelling, with only four studies reaching pilot-level evidence and none reporting sustained operational deployment. LLMs are currently best suited as semantic and workflow layers—such as point‑name normalisation and document‑grounded operator support—rather than autonomous HVAC controllers, and future research should target field‑validated benchmarks and safe, low‑latency LLM‑MPC/RL integrations.

By Alexander Neubauer, Tianzhen Hong, Han Li, Mengbo Yu, Amin Darbandi, Yannick F\"urst, Martin Kriegel