The Effect of Ceiling Heating and Mechanical Ventilation on Thermal Comfort

• Main Authors: Balázs András-Tövissi, László Kajtár, Árpád Nyers
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: thermal comfort; human subject measurement; actual mean vote; draught; radiant thermal asymmetry; local discomfort parameter
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/12/3712

In the case of public buildings with ceiling heating and mechanical ventilation, radiant temperature asymmetry caused by the warm ceiling and draught occur simultaneously. The currently available literature does not offer an exhaustive description of the comfort conditions resulting from such a thermal environment. This research focuses on complementing the available knowledge, using instrumental measurements, as well as subject measurements carried out on 20 individuals. Relying on these measurements, the purpose of the research is to support the understanding of the combined mechanisms of action of the two local discomfort parameters. The main result of this research is that, if the predicted percentage dissatified is less than 6%, the radiant temperature asymmetry is in an interval of 5–15 °C, and the draught rate is 15% or 25%, the actual mean vote and the predicted mean vote values differ significantly, and the actual mean vote is always lower, with a few exceptions. In addition, the research highlights the changes of the actual mean vote caused by raising the draught rate from 15% to 25%, in the presence of radiant temperature asymmetry caused by warm ceilings.