Comfort agent: FACT : from technology to value

Global warming, caused largely by energy consumption, is becoming a major problem. To further reduce energy consumption of office buildings, new control technology is needed. There is a very exciting development in control strategy in which the end-user behaviour is integrated. Within the SMART (Smart Multi Agent internet Technology) and IIGO (Intelligent Internet mediated control in the built environment) project, an externally real-time information system was integrated with a Building Management System to improve energy and comfort control. In the EBOB, Energy Efficient Behaviour in Office Buildings, a European EU-FP5 program project a different type of technology, Forgiving Technology, was developed. This paper presents insights of SMART, IIGO and EBOB, and the resulting combined technology; FACT, Forgiving Agent Comfort Technology. The TU/e developed this FACT technology into a concept for Careful Buildings