cs.HCSep 20, 2026

Heating in human-HVAC interaction for smart homes: An interdisciplinary overview

Authors: Delong Korus-Du, Gunnar Stevens, Alexander Boden, Lenneke Kuijer, Apostolos K. Vavouris, Md Shajalal, Philip Engelbutzeder, Omid Veisi, 

Organizations: Department of Human-Computer Interaction, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany · Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT, Sankt Augustin, Germany · Department of Industrial Design, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands · Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom · 

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Abstract

As part of HVAC systems, residential heating provides foundational infrastructure for human habitation in cold weather. However, research on how residents interact with HVAC systems, particularly heating systems, remains fragmented across architecture, engineering, informatics, physiology, psychology, sociology, and design. Based on 541 studies from these fields, this review integrates interdisciplinary research on Heating in Human-HVAC Interaction in smart homes.The resulting synthesis is conceptualized through the Situated Interaction Dynamics of control and feedback between users and systems. User-initiated interactions involve monitoring past and present system performance and planning future operation, while system-initiated interactions rely on sensor networks to trigger automation or provide information enabling user action. These interaction dynamics connect Residents' Experience and Practices with Heating in HVAC System Mechanics. Residents' Experience and Practices include thermal comfort and energy management, where thermal comfort involves both individual physiological and psychological experiences of indoor climate and social practices shaped by norms, empathy, and negotiation among cohabitants. Heating in HVAC System Mechanics includes thermal conditions and energy performance. Thermal conditions concern the regulation of air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, and relative humidity, while energy performance concerns efficiency and environmental impact. This overview highlights four interdisciplinary tensions: sensed versus lived conditions, personalization versus negotiation, efficiency versus health, and automation versus agency. The resulting framework offers a conceptual lens to interpret heating interactions and design Human-HVAC Interaction that balances IEQ-driven healthy thermal conditions, affordability, and sustainability.

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