Assessment of Thermal Comfort within Dormitory of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Based on ASHRAE Standard

Abstract

Thermal comfort is a condition, by which individuals are mentally satisfied from the ambient temperature conditions. The feeling of discomfort may emerge all over or in specific parts of the body. The present study was done with the aim of evaluating thermal comfort within dormitory of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences according to ASHRAE standards. The descriptive – analytical study was done on 167 male students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Subjective thermal sensation of students was measured in a 7-point scale, regarding dry temperature, wet temperature, radiant temperature, relative humidity of each student room, and predicted mean vote (PMV). The collected data were analyzed by SPSS-20 software. The mean rates for dry temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, and PMV were 20.326 °C, 23.04 °C, 56.78%, and -1.37 °C, respectively. The rate of 50.3% of the dry temperature and 51.5% of measured radiant temperature were in the range of standard temperature for winter season (20-23 °C), and only 4.2% of PMV index was in the acceptable ASHRAE standards range. The most subjective thermal sensations in the students were in neutral scale with frequency percent of 29.9%. PMV had no significant relation with the subjective thermal sensation in the students. PMV index in this study is not suitable for estimating people’s thermal sensation from environment in winter, and dry and radiant temperatures be set in ASHRAE standards temperature range by applying appropriate changes in the ventilation and heating system of the dormitory, for more people to be satisfied from the ambient temperature conditions.