Thermal comfort is all in the mind. It's the condition of satisfaction a person feels with their environment and immediate surroundings.
Simply put, thermal comfort means an individual does not feel too cold or too warm. Air temperature is the most typically used indicator of thermal comfort. There is a higher tendency that you will get tired when you are too warm; and when you are too cold, you will become restless and distracted.
Optimal comfort is very important to your health and productivity both at home and work. In an interior space, feeling comfortable directly impacts the mood of people and if you are in a satisfactory environment with optimal conditions in the workplace, you can think and work better.
Maintaining perfect thermal comfort at home and work can help avoid likely health issues. Poorly designed ventilation systems and lack of maintenance and cleaning significantly hinders optimal thermal environments.There are different ways to achieve optimal thermal comfort in a home or business - design, structure, and maintenance. One way is ensure that you use an HVAC system that regulates MRT (mean radiant temperature) to measure and regulate operative temperature. You should also reduce the air leaks in the building that can relatively reduce the efficiency of an HVAC system. It is important to be mindful of the constraint of air temperature and relative humidity between seasons.
The temperature of the human body is about 37°C and the ideal comfort zone temperature with ventilation is said to be between 17° and 24°C. Thermal discomfort can occur if under an air-conditioning vent or skylight or near heat-generating equipment or an open door.
Air conditioning and cooling are different. Air conditioning t involves charging, controlling and regulating the climate conditions. A cooling system lowers the temperature for use or comfort - in many cases cooling systems are just enough to bring comfort in summer
Comfort condition or comfort zone is when your body feels comfortable within a specific range of temperature settings, relative humidity and air velocity. The four factors that contribute to the comfort condition of someone include temperature, humidity, air movement and mean radiant temperature. For temperature, people prefer between 21 and 26 degrees Celsius. Air humidity relates to how much moisture is present in the air ( the ideal range of relative humidity is 40 to 60). Too low or too high of relative humidity can increase the chances of bacteria, mould, and dust mites. Mean radiant temperature has to do with how cold or hot the surfaces around you are.
Thermal comfort factors are accurate and valid indicators of thermal comfort or thermal stress. Several factors may be independent of each other; however, they all determine people's thermal comfort. These factors include air temperature ( the most commonly used indicator), clothing Insulation, radiant temperature, air velocity, metabolic heat, and humidity .