The influence of air-conditioning managerial scheme in hybrid-ventilated classrooms on students’ thermal perception

Abstract

Hybrid ventilation employing both natural ventilation and air-conditioning (AC) is used in Taiwanese schools as a mechanism to maintain indoor environmental quality. A field survey was conducted in two high schools in central Taiwan, one adopting a centralized management for control of AC use and the other employing a user-controlled approach, to investigate the influence of AC management scheme on thermal perception as well as the behaviours of AC usage. As shown in the results, the AC usage was significantly affected by the managerial scheme selected for AC control. When the AC was in use, the mean operative temperature ( top) in the classroom regulated under central management was 2.9℃ less than the value observed in user management. The cumulative hours of AC operation in central management was three folds of the level recorded in user management. Linear regression of thermal sensation vote against top indicated a greater thermal sensitivity in the user management group to the shift of top. These findings provide insights on the attributes of adaptive thermal comfort, which may facilitate design in hybrid ventilation that balances between energy-saving and thermal comfort, particularly in areas of similar weather to that of Taiwan.