Abstract
The influence of different control strategies on the user’s satisfaction in cell offices was studied in a full-scale facility in Trondheim, Norway. Eleven participants used two test cells as a workspace and answered a computer-based questionnaire for reporting their perceived thermal and visual comfort, and any desired changes in the cell environment. Concurrently, the indoor operative temperature and illuminance were registered. Two different strategies for controlling the indoor environment were used in the case study. In Cell A, the ceiling-mounted lights, the window blind, and a water-based radiator were controlled by the main acquisition and control system, whereas in Cell B, these were manually controlled by the users. In both cells, the window opening was user-controlled, except for a small motorised window, which was automated in Cell A, and user-controlled in Cell B. The results show that the occupants of Cell B first tended to open the window, then to adjust their clothing level, and finally to lower the blind when the operative temperature increased. The recorded Thermal Sensation Votes (TSVs) and Illuminance Ratings (IRs) show that the limitation of control opportunities in Cell A increases the level of thermal and visual dissatisfaction.
Highlights
Modern control and energy management systems offer the potential to optimise energy systems usage and reduce energy consumption
In a study by Deuble and de Dear [7], the occupants of an office building in Sydney reported as comfortable a wider range of temperature when the building was run in natural ventilation mode [7]
The occupants of Cell A recorded their thermal and visual comfort in the questionnaire 167 times, the occupants of Cell B filled in 188 records
Summary
Modern control and energy management systems offer the potential to optimise energy systems usage and reduce energy consumption. Fully automatic control systems or limited availability of environmental controls have been demonstrated to reduce the building occupants’ perceived comfort [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Increased perceived and exercised control in office spaces, such as employed in buildings with mixed-mode ventilation systems, has been demonstrated to lead to higher level of comfort for the occupants. In a study by Deuble and de Dear [7], the occupants of an office building in Sydney (run in either air-conditioning or natural-ventilation mode) reported as comfortable a wider range of temperature (from 21 to 30 ◦ C) when the building was run in natural ventilation mode [7]. Brager et al [9] studied the difference between the neutral temperatures reported by occupants of a naturally-ventilated office building in Berkeley, CA. The occupants sitting in an open landscape were grouped in those who could directly access a window
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