A study on the thermal comfort in sleeping environments in the subtropics—Developing a thermal comfort model for sleeping environments

Lin, Zhihong; Deng, Shiming

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.11.026

Cited by 213 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…10,47 If they slept without covering, the neutral temperature would increase to 28°C. 62 Using local cooling, the thermal comfortable temperatures increased to 31°C and 32°C in the present study. Moreover, the temperature of the water used for local cooling in the present study was as high as 28°C, so local cooling can be achieved with renewable energy sources and reduced energy cost.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Local body cooling to improve sleep quality and thermal comfort in a hot environment

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of local body cooling on thermal comfort and sleep quality in a hot environment were investigated in an experiment with 16 male subjects. Sleep quality was evaluated subjectively, using questionnaires completed in the morning, and objectively, by analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals that were continuously monitored during the sleeping period. Compared with no cooling, the largest improvement in thermal comfort and sleep quality was observed when the back and head (neck) were both cooled at a room temperature of 32°C. Back cooling alone also improved thermal comfort and sleep quality, although the effects were less than when cooling 1,2 Disturbed nocturnal sleep also has consequential effects on health, increasing the risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 3,4 The thermoregulatory system and the sleep regulating mechanisms have been shown to be strongly linked in humans, 5,6 and this was later confirmed by many studies that show high or low air temperatures, even moderately different from the neutral temperature, could significantly decrease sleep quality. 7-10 However, in many areas with long and hot summers, indoor air temperatures are very high. For example, in southern China, the indoor air temperature was found to be higher than 34°C in natural ventilated buildings during the summer season. 11 A survey in Indonesia found that the indoor air temperatures were higher than 32°C in naturally ventilated residential buildings. 12 Global warming that leads to higher temperatures will create still hotter indoor conditions. Attention is now being paid to how climate change may degrade the indoor thermal environment in buildings.13 It has been reported that heat-related deaths correlate, not just with daytime temperature, but also with nighttime temperatures. The highest risk factor for heat-related death is a bedroom located on the second floor without air-conditioning. 14 A study in 79 households in Greenland showed that in summer 19% of all bedroom temperature were above 26°C although the outside temperatures averaged no more than 9.5°C. 15Full air-conditioning may be one of the easiest ways to improve thermal environment. However, large amounts of cool air (often recirculated room air, for residential buildings) must be supplied to maintain indoor temperatures at acceptable levels in the entire building (including unoccupied areas), leading to increased energy consumption. 16Thus, especially in areas with hot summers, the long summer period

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Local body cooling to improve sleep quality and thermal comfort in a hot environment

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thermal comfort is influenced by six factors. These factors are air temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, clothing insulation and metabolic rate (Macpherson, 1962, Macpherson, 1973, Goldman, 1999, Berglund, 1977, Lin and Deng, 2008. Thermal acceptability is the degree of an occupant's approval of the environment.…”

Section: Thermal Comfortmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupant productivity and office indoor environment quality: A review of the literature

Horr

Arif

Kaushik

et al. 2016

Building and Environment

550

369

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature to draw an understanding of the relationship between indoor environmental quality and occupant productivity in an office environment. The study reviews over 300 papers from 67 journals, conference articles and books focusing on indoor environment, occupant comfort, productivity and green buildings. It limits its focus to the physical aspects of an office environment. The literature outlines eight Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) factors that influence occupant productivity in an office environment. It also discusses different physical parameters under each of the IEQ factors. It proposes a conceptual model of different factors affecting occupant productivity. The study also presents a review of the data collection methods utilised by the research studies that aim to investigate the relationship between IEQ and occupant productivity. The study presents a comprehensive discussion and analysis of different IEQ factors that affect occupant productivity. The paper provides a concise starting point for future researchers interested in the area of indoor environmental quality. Keywords: occupant productivity, workplace satisfaction, indoor environment quality, occupant comfortPaper type: Literature review IntroductionHumans spend most of their time indoors, and the majority of the world's population lives in urban areas and work in an office environment (ASHRAE, 1993). There has been a significant global shift in the economy from the manufacturing sector towards the service and knowledge-based sectors which operate in indoor office environments (Haynes, 2008b, World Green Building Council, 2014. Hence, it is becoming important to understand the indoor office environment and the effect it has on occupant productivity. An office environment has a high level of influence on its occupants' productivity (Leaman and Bordass, 1999, Frontczak et al., 2012, Roelofsen, 2002, Mawson, 2002, Van der Voordt, 2004. Past studies on sustainable buildings postulate that green design strategies and technologies enhance the indoor workplace environment. Such strategies/technologies enable the creation of an environment which favours occupants' comfort and performance in both newly built and retrofitted buildings (Romm and Browning, 1994). The majority of the building stock that will exist in 2050 has already been built (2009). Thus, there is a need to investigate the quality of the indoor workplace environment and its relationship to occupant productivity. This paper establishes the state-of-the-art on environmental factors that influence occupant productivity in the office environment. It also highlights and discusses various occupant productivity measurement methods used in indoor environment research studies. This research will help construction industry professionals improve the designs that allow better operation of office buildings along with improving the productivity of the occupants. BackgroundThe research on the direct and indirect effects of indoor environ...

show abstract

“…After the introduction of the rational model by Fanger, numerous studies supported it, (e.g., Parsons (2002)) or validated it (e.g., Humphreys and Nicol (2002)), or proposed modified formulations (e.g., Araújo and Araújo (1999);Mayer (1997); Xavier and Lamberts (2000); Yoon, Sohn, and Cho (1999)) or extensions (e.g., Lin and Deng (2007); Ole Fanger and Toftum (2002)), or highlighted its limitations (e.g., Croome, Gan, and Awbi (1993); Howell and Kennedy (1979); Humphreys and Hancock (2007)) and discrepancies (e.g., Benton, Bauman, and Fountain, (1990); Doherty and Arens (1988)). The main shortcomings of the Fanger model are: (i) people are considered passive sensors of the thermal environment, instead of active individuals who adapt their activity, clothing ensemble, and the customization opportunities of the building (operability of the windows, doors and solar shadings, or modification of set-points, etc.…”

Section: Limitations Of the Heat-balance Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comfort considerations in Net ZEBs: theory and design

Carlucci

Pagliano

O’Brien

et al. 2015

Modeling, Design, and Optimization of Net‐Zero Energy Buildings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A study on the thermal comfort in sleeping environments in the subtropics—Developing a thermal comfort model for sleeping environments

Cited by 213 publications

References 19 publications

Local body cooling to improve sleep quality and thermal comfort in a hot environment

Local body cooling to improve sleep quality and thermal comfort in a hot environment

Occupant productivity and office indoor environment quality: A review of the literature

Comfort considerations in Net ZEBs: theory and design

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About