Thermal comfort of student in classroom with elevated set point air-conditioner temperature: objective and subjective measurement

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of high set point air conditioning temperature of 27°C on the thermal comfort of students in educational spaces, specifically in a classroom at Tun Hussein Onn University Malaysia. Both objective and subjective measurements were conducted to assess thermal comfort. Objective measurements included air temperature, relative humidity, air velocity, and mean radiant temperature, while subjective measurements involved surveys to gather the student’s feedback. Based on the objective measurement, the estimated indoor condition was ‘slightly warm condition’ with average Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) value ranging from +0.7 to +0.9. Meanwhile, direct response from the students’ showed that most of the time they felt comfortable and accept the indoor condition. However, maintaining a 27°C set point temperature during learning process will affecting their learning focus and acceptance rate. It was found out that slightly warm sensation along with slightly higher mean radiant temperature and relative humidity and slightly lower air speed, contributed to the influence on student learning activities in the classroom.