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Thermoelectric (TE) generators and coolers are one possible solution to energy autonomy for internet-of-things and biomedical electronics and to locally cool high-performance integrated circuits. The development of TE technology requires not only research into TE materials but also advancing TE device physics, which involves determining properties such as the thermopower ( α) and Peltier ( Π) coefficients at the device rather than material level. Although Π governs TE cooler operation, it is rarely measured because of difficulties isolating Π from larger non-Peltier heat effects such as Joule heating and Fourier thermal conduction. Instead, Π is almost always inferred from α via a theoretical Kelvin relation Π =  αT, where T is the absolute temperature. Here, we demonstrate a method for independently measuring Π on any TE device via the difference in heat flows between the thermopile held open-circuit vs short-circuit. This method determines Π solely from conventionally measured device performance parameters, corrects for non-Peltier heat effects, does not require separate knowledge of material property values, and does not assume the Kelvin relation. A measurement of Π is demonstrated on a commercial Bi 2 Te 3 TE generator. By measuring α and Π independently on the same device, the ratio ( Π/ α) is free of parasitic thermal impedances, allowing the Kelvin relation to be empirically verified to reasonable accuracy.