A Comparison of Thermal Comfort of People from Buildings with Centralized Air-Conditioning Systems and Split Air-Conditioners

A comparative study on thermal comfort of people from buildings with central air-conditioning system (CAC buildings) and split air-conditioner (SAC buildings) was conducted in climate chamber. The experimental conditions covered a wide thermal sensation range from cool to hot, and both physiological and psychological responses were collected. The results showed that the mean skin temperature was significantly higher for subjects from CAC buildings in the non-neutral conditions, while the skin wettednes was no significant difference between the two groups. The subjects from CAC and SAC buildings reported the same thermal sensations, and their neutral temperatures (26.8 and 26.6 °C) and thermal sensitivities (both 0.31 °C-1) were not significantly different as well. The 90% thermal acceptable SET ranges were 24.8–27.4 °C for subjects from CAC buildings and 24.4–30.1 °C for subjects from SAC buildings. The thermal acceptable upper limit was 2.7 °C lower for subjects from CAC buildings. The possible impacts of thermal history and expectation are discussed.