Summers are getting longer and hotter, even in the Netherlands. One heat record after another is being broken, causing consumers to look for ways to stay cool. Manufacturers of cooling systems and air conditioners (the HVAC industry) are eagerly capitalizing on this, resulting in growing power consumption. And the use of air conditioners prevents us from properly adjusting our body temperature to hot weather. This inspired Lenneke Kuijer to flip the question around. For her research into summer comfort, she received a Veni grant and, together with HVAC companies, devised an innovative concept thermostat, BRYS. BRYS helps residents to stay comfortable in the summer and the winter with much lower energy consumption!
A new thermostat that keeps you comfortable helps lower your energy bills? We wanted to know more about this. We sit down with Lenneke Kuijer , assistant professor at the Department of Industrial Design, on a drizzly spring day, while it was summery warm in Eindhoven just a few weekends ago.
When asked what inspired her to come up with this thermostat, she laughs: "For that, we need to go back in time and start at the beginning."
Inspiration from air conditioning
Kuijer was already working on comfort during her PhD research on industrial design at Delft. "But I was really shocked by the widely shared beliefs among HVAC companies. They had fixed assumptions about people, such as ’everyone always wants a room temperature between 20 and 22 degrees.’ But researchers have been questioning that for a long time, not only because it simply costs more and more energy but also because it’s not necessarily true."
As designers, we have the opportunity - some would say the duty - to question fixed beliefs.
Lenneke Kuijer, associate professor of Industrial Design
"After all, people have lived from the equator to the poles for thousands of years, so our bodies can handle a lot more," Kuijer says. "As designers, we have the opportunity - some would even say the duty - to question those sorts of fixed beliefs. Otherwise, we’ll never reach designs that help to do things differently."
Veni grant for Industrial Design
As a young researcher, that inspired her to submit a Veni proposal to NWO. "I still remember how I sat writing that together with a colleague - an exciting period during which the application was carefully formulated. We knew it was a long shot for both of us. NWO does not often honor industrial design research with an AES [Applied and Engineering Sciences, ed.] grant. But against the odds, I did get it."This enabled her to spend the past three years doing in-depth research on how Dutch households deal with hot weather and on all sorts of possible solutions.
"In the first phase , I focused on how summer heat is currently dealt with in the Netherlands and on the relationship between warmer summers and Dutch houses and people. In the second phase , I broadened the number of solution directions and concepts through design fictions," Kuijer says.
"That resulted in very unusual and sometimes slightly eccentric designs, but they did inspire us for the final phase. That’s when I really started working with partners like Havensteder and Itho Daalderop to see how we could offer a working product to make people comfortable in a more natural way."
BRYS - thermostat concept for more natural comfort
As a user, when you set up the innovative thermostat BRYS (currently a demonstration model), you begin by indicating the location of your house, and which walls have windows. You can then choose the temperature range that you find comfortable in your home, for example 19 to 24 degrees Celsius.BRYS then uses the local weather forecast and measurements of your indoor temperature to advise you. The thermostat tells you when is best to open or close your windows, for example, or whether to close or open your curtains or blinds on one side of the house. With these actions, it’s possible to keep your home up to nine degrees cooler in the summer than without them. Or, conversely, to have it warmed up by the winter sun.
In addition, BRYS can help you train your own comfort. With increments of 0.1 to 0.5 degree per day, BRYS allows the temperature in your home to move with the seasons. In this way, you unknowingly train yourself to keep warm and cool to a range of up to 17 to 28 degrees ! And yes, if you sit for a long time, a cardigan or blanket can provide extra comfort, but this variation is comfortable and healthy for normal activity.
Watch the demo in the video.
Scientifically substantiated design
There’s a great deal of science behind BRYS’ design. "A lot of thorough research went into the final design, both in terms of the human experience and in what is feasible with this low-tech solution to cool the house in the summer," Kuijer explains."In the different phases of research, we worked step by step towards a solid design. In the first year, we looked at the breadth and calculated what the temperature gain in the house would be for a range of options."
"In the second phase, we started to use design fictions to explore what behavioral adjustments are possible and what benefits that might bring. From this came extraordinary design concepts, from a shirt with plants, to cooling from a Chilly Popper for parties."
"These concepts were not meant to be solutions, but provided insights into the thresholds and barriers that people experience with those concepts. And what dimensions are wide open when you don’t start the design process with well-defined beliefs."
Innovative design for summer comfort
"And we also considered ease of use with BRYS, of course. Thanks to user interviews and the design agency, we could arrive at a design that allows people to conveniently fit BRYS into their day."
"As a result, BRYS helps us return to the basics and to a more natural form of comfort. But it also offers the HVAC industry the prospect of a completely different approach to the market and to products and services. The enthusiasm with which BRYS was received there was heartwarming."
Follow-up steps by research partners
From here, Kuijer’s research partners are taking up the baton. Scientific research seldom goes beyond a working prototype. TNO is taking the first steps in this. The research and results are quite deliberately housed under a Creative Commons license.This means that the design and the models behind it may, in principle, be used by anyone. The designs for BRYS can therefore be requested from Kuijer and the mathematical models behind the recommendations will soon follow on her website. After all, the idea is to see the ideas and concepts reflected in practice.
The research partners working with Kuijer also have high ambitions, explains Elbert Stoffer, Chief of Operations at Itho Daalderop. "As an industry, we’ve caused our own challenge here, specifically the user demand for a stable temperature in the summer and the winter. Instead, the needs of residents should take the lead here. BRYS is definitely going to have an impact on our designs for future thermostats."
Tjerron Boxem of Rotterdam housing association Havensteder is also getting to work using the insights. "Of course, we hear from our residents that they want air conditioning when it gets above 30 degrees. Unfortunately, we see that they often use it with the windows open, which actually makes the house warmer."
"This is why we are now writing our heat policy, including an assignment for ourselves: on the one hand, informing and coaching people on how to smartly keep their homes cool and, on the other hand, adapting the homes and equipping them with shading and insulation. A real two-track policy, then."
Read Lenneke Kuijer’s scientific reports and results on summer comfort on her website https://lennekekuijer.org/brys/
