Personalised Environmental Control Systems (PECS) enable occupants to locally adjust environmental parameters without affecting others. Rooted in the fields of thermal and air quality management, this approach is key for enhancing satisfaction and well-being in the built environment by empowering occupants to control their immediate surroundings. Moreover, it offers energy-saving potential by optimizing conditions in targeted areas rather than across the entire environment. Within the framework of the IEA EBC Annex 87, the concept was explored for the first time in the acoustic domain. After defining Acoustic PECS, a systematic review according to PRISMA guidelines was conducted to unpack (1) technologies in the literature aligning with this concept; (2) their impact on occupants; and (3) current limitations. The literature search, conducted on Scopus, Web of Science, APA, and PubMed, included field or laboratory studies assessing systems enabling local acoustic control in settings that are relevant for office environments. Review papers, medical device studies, and reports without insights on occupant impact were excluded. Thirty-eight studies were selected, covering active and passive systems, building-attached, furniture-integrated, and wearable devices. The qualitative analysis highlighted potential positive effects in challenging acoustic environments, including reduced annoyance, improved work performance, masking or cancellation of intrusive noises, and enhancements in short-term memory, among other benefits, despite existing technological and methodological limitations. The evidence collected is constrained by the limited number of identified studies and methodological gaps stemming from the relatively wide focus of the studies where such devices were investigated. The definition of Acoustic PECS provides a foundation for future research, guiding the development of these systems and fostering high-quality and consistent evidence of their impacts.

Advances in environmental technologies have improved indoor environmental quality (IEQ) by creating steady, uniform conditions. However, these often fail to meet individual thermal comfort and air quality needs, prompting a shift toward adaptive, personalized solutions. Personalized Environmental Control Systems (PECS) aim to enhance comfort, air quality, health, and productivity through user-centered designs. This paper systematically reviews 324 journal articles on PECS from 1988-2023, focusing on thermal and indoor air quality (IAQ) domains. PECS are classified by mobility: building-attached, semi-attached, detached, and wearable. The review assesses their impact on thermal comfort, IAQ, health outcomes (e.g., Sick Building Syndrome, heat stress), and human performance (e.g., cognitive function, productivity). Results show that building-detached PECS often improve thermal sensation, comfort, and acceptability, with combined systems yielding better ratings. Personalized ventilation enhances IAQ by delivering clean air directly to the breathing zone, reducing contaminant exposure. Research on PECS effects on health is limited, mainly focusing on short-term, controlled studies. Evidence for benefits on human performance is sparse but promising. Key challenges include inconsistent performance metrics, limited real-world evaluations, and potential publication bias toward positive results. This review highlights the need for standardized evaluation methods, deeper understanding of combined PECS effects, real-world and long-term testing, and clearer quantification of human performance benefits to advance the field.

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.