IMPACTS OF NON-ISOTHERMAL TASK CONDITIONING SYSTEM WITH INDIVIDUAL CONTROL ON THERMAL COMFORT AND PRODUCTIVITY

Abstract

Subjective experiments with a non-isothermal task conditioning system were conducted to investigate impacts of the system on thermal comfort and productivity in a climate chamber of Kanto-Gakuin University. Japan. All subjects participated in 'default condition test: 26℃/50%RH' at first. Then a half of the same subjects participated in 'standard condition test: 26℃/50%RH' and the remainder subjects participated in 'task-ambient test: 30℃/50%RH+TAC', just one week later again separately. Thermal, humidity, comfort sensations, and other psychological factors were investigated. The way the subjects controlled the task system was also monitored. In addition to that, subjective productivity was investigated from the subjective, physiological/mental, and performance assessment points of view. It was considered that the task conditioning system could keep people thermally comfortable even in 30℃/50%RH condition. Local thermal sensation was improved with TAC operation. Subjective symptom voting showed that the TAC operation had advantage to alleviate fatigue compared to the case without it.