Low-temperature radiant heating systems can be considered as suitable candidates for the refurbishment of old heating systems. These systems are proven to save energy, however, their drawback is their impact on the creation of radiant temperature asymmetry and local thermal discomfort, especially in old buildings where the temperatures of surfaces (for example external walls with a low level of insulation and large windows) are low. This study aims to evaluate the potential application of low-temperature radiant ceiling heating systems (28–38 °C) in old and energy-renovated buildings, based on subjective experiments and thermal comfort criteria such as thermal sensation, comfort, satisfaction, and sensation asymmetry votes. Later, in the Discussion section, the guideline for the radiant temperature asymmetry for the warm ceiling presented in ASHRAE Standard-55 is corrected for relatively low air temperatures and different surface temperatures corresponding to “about neutral” conditions for winter clothing. Findings of this research show that the radiant ceiling heating system operating at low temperatures (33–38 °C) can provide fairly neutral thermal sensation and satisfactory comfort at the majority of body-parts, if the building envelope satisfies advanced building energy-efficiency regulations. Additionally, the experimental analyses imply that limitation of 5% suggested by ASHRAE-55 for the percentage of dissatisfied occupants feeling uncomfortable due to overhead radiation can be elevated to 10%.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.