A STUDY OF OCCUPANT COOLING BY PERSONALLY CONTROLLED AIR MOVEMENT

This study addresses the effectiveness of air movement cooling, an alt ernative to compressor-based cooling of the air itself. Subjects in an environmental chamber were exposed to a range of warm temperatures an d allowed to adjust air movement to suit their individual preferences, while answering a series of questions about their comfort. Air moveme nt was from the subject's side, in two modes of turbulent flow. The ai r speeds chosen by the subjects, and their subjective responses, are e valuated in the context of existing comfort standards and prediction t echniques. Choosing air speeds up to 1.4 m/s, over 80% of subjects at 1.2 met were comfortable up to 29 degrees C, and at 1.0 met up to 31 d egrees C. The cooling effectiveness was significantly affected by the nature of the turbulence. A zone is proposed within which personally c ontrolled air movement provides a likely alternative to mechanical air conditioning. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.