Impacts of Non-Isothermal Task Conditioning System with Individual Control on Thermal Comfort and Productivity

Subjective experiments with a non-isothermal task conditioning system were conducted toinvestigate impacts of the system on thermal comfort and productivity in a climate chamber of Kanto-Gakuin University, Japan. All subjects participated in "default condition test: 26C / 50% RH" at first.Then a half of the same subjects participated in "standard condition test: 26C / 50% RH", and theremainder subjects participated in "task-ambient test: 30C / 50% RH + TAC", just one week later again separately. Thermal, humidity, comfort sensations, and other psychological factors were investigated.

Individually controlled office environments. Thermal comfort parameters determination

This paper presents the main results of a research on an individually controlled office environment. The research was carried out in a laboratory that counts on an air conditioning system with underfloor air supply and individual airflow control devices for personalized thermal comfort. The evaluation was based on quantitative and qualitative data acquired respectively by means of comfort variables local measurements and people participation. The main results refer to the thermal comfort parameters proper to the referred environment and parameters for the system operation.

Evaluation of Human Thermal Response in Occupied Spaces Subjected to Direct Solar Radiation

The objective of this work is to evaluate the human thermal response in occupied spaces subjected to direct solar radiation. In this study, done in a full scale compartment equipped with an airconditioning system, a thermal-manikin (to simulate the human body posture), a multi-nodal human

Improving comfort and health by personalized ventilation

The thermal environment and air quality in buildings affects occupants’ health, comfort and performance. The heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) of buildings today is designed to provide a uniform room environment. However, large individual d

Recalibration of the complaint prediction model

In this paper the complaint prediction model developed by Federspiel in 2000 is evaluated and recalibrated. Temperature time-series data and complaint data were collected from different size buildings from different geographical areas. Results are presented.

Chemical reactions among indoor pollutants : what we 've learned in the new millennium ?

This paper emphasizes on the role of hydroxyl radicals in indoor processes, on chemical reactions occurring on indoor surfaces, and the impact of products of indoor chemistry on building occupants. The products of indoor chemistry can impact comfort and health, but the importance of those effects and the frequency of their occurrence remains to be elucidated.

Personalized ventilation

Individual differences in preferred air temperature may be as great as 10°C, and preferences for air movement may differ more than four times for the occupants. Personalized ventilation can improve occupants' comfort in so far as thermal discomfort is oft

Indoor conditions in ultralightweight structures : a case study

Steel truss structures, covered with a PVC thin sheet of matt light colour, were used in recent time for the construction of three new classrooms in the University of Catania (southern Italy). Although the construction was fast and cheap, the classrooms proved to be uncomfortable in relation to thermal and luminous environment. A first analysis revealed that the drawbacks were caused by the ultra-lightweight of the structure as a whole, resulting in thermal discomfort.

Performance and applications of Gossamer windTM solar powered ceiling fans

Research has shown that highly efficient solar powered ceiling fans improve thermal comfort and potentially provide health benefits when air conditioning or conventional ceiling fans are not available, such as during the 2003 summer heat waves in Europe, and in many undeveloped areas of the world. Ceiling fans can improve the spatial effectiveness of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. They can reduce air conditioning energy use if occupants increase thermostat set-points and reduce frequency of operation, and if waste heat from the fan motor is minimized.

Energy consumption, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools

School buildings in Flanders are quite old. They cause concern not only about energy efficiency but also about thermal comfort, indoor air quality, speech intelligibility and visual comfort. To evaluate the correctness of the concerns, energy consumption was monitored in 18 schools, while in each of them a classroom was selected for detailed measurements on comfort and indoor air quality. The results justify the concern. Energy consumption per pupil varies significantly, from low to really high.

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