Thermal Comfort and Energy Use with Local Heaters

Abstract

This paper presents the investigation of a local heating system consisting of three heating mats incorporated within a sedentary workplace. Thermal comfort and individual power settings for the heating mats were studied in experiments with 41 human subjects. Experiments were performed in a climate chamber at two operative temperatures: 16 and 18 °C. Results showed that local heating systems improved occupants’ comfort and were able to create acceptable thermal conditions under both temperatures. The power settings identified were used to study the applicability of heating mats in an industrial hall. Multi-variant analysis of energy consumption for heating was carried out using an ESP-r (Environmental Systems Performance–Research) simulation program. The analysis results demonstrate that in some cases, the installation of local heating mats in industrial halls may reduce energy usage compared to having to heat the entire hall. However, the benefits depend on numerous parameters. Local heating is most advantageous when installed in halls with a small number of workstations, small internal heat gains, and low-efficiency central heating systems. In reality for the satisfactory implementation of local heating systems for a particular application, it is advised to perform analysis for the specific local conditions. In order to improve the effectiveness of local heating systems, an advanced heating control strategy should be considered.

Recent Achievements in Research on Thermal Comfort and Ventilation in the Aspect of Providing People with Appropriate Conditions in Different Types of Buildings—Semi-Systematic Review

“…The energy-saving effect can also be obtained by using heat recovery from domestic hot water [13][14][15][16], but it is easier to achieve it in mechanical ventilation systems [17]. It should be emphasized that thermal comfort is also affected by factors other than ventilation, such as the radiation temperature of the surrounding surfaces, which is easily obtained using surface heating [16,18,19], radiators [20] or wall panels with heat pipes [21] and others [22,23], as well as outdoor sources [24,25].…”

CFD Modelling of Thermal Comfort in the Passenger Coach

“…The study of thermal comfort is the subject of many scientific studies. They concern residential, public and office buildings [1][2][3][4][5], as well as vehicles due to the increased attention of researchers and vehicle manufacturers on improving thermal comfort conditions in passenger compartments in the last decades [6]. However, comfort research in transport is rather rarely conducted, although comfort study and proper analysis of the results could affect the comfort of people's travel.…”