Investigation of the PMV and TSV Models of Thermal Comfort in Air-Conditioned University Classrooms in Malaysia

Abstract

A field study was done on the thermal comfort of seven air-conditioned university classrooms in the hot and humid climate of Malaysia. The aims of this paper are to investigate the perceptions of thermal comfort and the adaptation method of students in air-conditioned classrooms. In total, 189 respondents from the classrooms completed the questionnaire. A comparison was made between the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and the Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) and it was found that the TSV values tended to be more sensitive than the PMV values. A variety of adaptation methods of the occupants in the classrooms are also presented. It was found that most of the occupants preferred to change the air-conditioning thermostat, probably because all the occupants had the opportunity to control the thermostat.