Exploring the influence of indoor temperature on thermal comfort and performance
Virendra Sharma, Tanmay Dave, Faizan Ahmad Wani, Jyotirmay Mathur, Sanjay R. Mathur
Abstract
Thermal discomfort markedly impacts human productivity, determined mainly by environmental and personal factors. The proposed research evaluates thermal comfort and productivity based on standard effective temperature, which covers the occupants’ indoor thermal environmental and personal factors. Twenty-four college students were selected for experiments; they experienced four air temperatures (23 °C, 25 °C, 27 °C, and 30 °C), with relative humidity ranging from 60% to 80% and air velocity from 0 to 0.2 m/s. A subjective questionnaire assessed occupant thermal comfort, mental state, and mental workload, while their performance was quantitatively evaluated using neuro-behavioral tests. The results showed that the highest performance and thermal comfort were recorded at 27.2 °C mean SET, during which the occupant sensation ranged from ‘neutral’ to ‘slightly cool’, and the total mood disturbance and mental workload were relatively low. This underscores the crucial relationship between thermal comfort, psychological response, and performance, with the most significant changes observed in warm environments. It is evident that thermal comfort correlates with decreased total mood disturbance, reduced mental workload, heightened performance, and vice versa. The findings of this study would enable building HVAC operators to optimize the operation of HVAC systems by creating an indoor thermal environment that supports optimal human performance and ensures comfort.