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Intuitive Thermal Comfort Controller

Guaranteeing an optimal level of thermal comfort can increase productivity and quality of life. ‘THERCOM’ project will facilitate the development of a new paradigm in indoor climate control to ensure optimal thermal comfort. The control development will focus on three characteristics: improving user experience, increasing energy efficiency and consistency with the technological revolution.

‘THERCOM’ will offer an innovative user experience by implementing intuitive interaction between the occupant and the controller. The controller will apply thermal comfort theory and, based on the European and UK standards, bring an improvement to the user experience. ‘THERCOM’ will be the first controller to directly relate to the user experience and the environment, providing consumers with a unique control. The controller will optimize the expediency of most of the room users: no other controller in the marker is able to adjust the setpoints to optimize the general thermal comfort level of the room.

Increasing energy efficiency is one of the principal objectives of our society to decrease the negative impacts on the environment. ‘THERCOM’ will generate the opportunity to increase thermal comfort and optimise energy consumption. Internet of Things offers for the first time in human history the opportunity to provide ‘intelligence’ to objects. The new technologies try to improve the human quality of life, and thermal comfort is one area with immense potential to apply ‘smart’ controllers. Using the theoretical knowledge of thermal comfort, empirical data, international standards, and innovative hardware, ‘THERCOM’ project seeks to create a new paradigm in the indoor climate controller world, based on people, and adapting to personal prophecies, the human being has to be the focus of the advances that seek to reach net zero because it is the humans who consume the energy.

Motivated people are the most powerful force in the world. ‘THERCOM’ is able to motivate people to reduce their energy consumption through competition, rewards, feedback, and other gamification concepts, utilising all the power of motivated people. With this in mind, the possible positive impacts of this project are immense.

V-LAB selected among 20 ODEON Open Call winners to advance THERCOM-BRIDGE

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The EU-funded project will help bring comfort-aware residential heating flexibility into the ODEON energy ecosystem through secure, two-way edge connectivity.

THERCOM-BRIDGE COMFORT-AWARE FLEXIBILITY     |     SECURE EDGE CONNECTIVITY     |     ODEON INTEGRATION

V-LAB Ltd has been selected as one of the 20 winners of the ODEON Open Call, securing EU support to further develop and validate THERCOM-BRIDGE. The project will connect residential heating technologies with ODEON’s federated Cloud-Edge Data and Intelligence Service Platform, helping turn household energy flexibility into a practical resource for Europe’s changing electricity system.

Making residential flexibility useful

Homes increasingly use connected thermostats, thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), temperature sensors, smart plugs and meters. Yet differing device protocols and fragmented data can make coordinated energy management difficult. THERCOM-BRIDGE will develop a secure, bidirectional edge connector that translates information between these residential assets and ODEON, enabling both visibility of flexible demand and controlled responses to energy-system needs.

Technology built around household comfort

The solution builds on V-LAB’s THERCOM research and earlier developments supported by Innovate UK, InterConnect and ICOS. It combines device interoperability, comfort-aware control and flexibility estimation, with safeguards that keep occupants’ thermal preferences central. The aim is to support energy savings and renewable integration without treating residential comfort as an afterthought.

From integration to real-world validation

During ODEON’s 10-month support programme, V-LAB will refine the connector, align its interfaces with the platform, test data exchange and operational behaviour, and validate the resulting service with relevant stakeholders. The intended pathway is from a validated prototype towards demonstration in an operationally relevant environment, supporting future licensing to local energy communities, aggregators, utilities and energy service providers.

About ODEON

ODEON is a Horizon Europe project developing a federated Cloud-Edge Data and Intelligence Service Platform for a more flexible, resilient and data-driven energy system. Its Open Call selected 20 projects to develop complementary energy services, with mentoring and access to the ODEON technology ecosystem.

Learn more: odeonproject.eu

Funding acknowledgement

THERCOM-BRIDGE receives financial support through the ODEON Open Call. ODEON is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme, Grant Agreement No. 101136128.

Disclaimer

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. ODEON has received funding under Horizon Europe Programme under Grant Agreement no 101136128.