Thermoregulation

This paper is a synthesis of the results from the project INTEWON and related studies. The link between the physiological thermoneutral zone (TNZ) and the thermal comfort zone (TCZ) is discussed. Secondly, we discuss the relation between thermal preference and thermal sensation and how physiological parameters, such as skin temperature can predict thermal sensation. It is shown that the identification of subject categories, based on their thermal preference, increases the predictive value of skin temperatures substantially.

Indoor thermal environment is much affected by characteristics of an equipped heating system. Suchthermal environmental factors as temperature, air velocity, radiant temperature and their distributionscan influence the thermal sensation and the energy consumption of a heating system.