Is the PMV Index an Indicator of Human Thermal Comfort Sensation?

Abstract

This research examined how indoor environmental variables affect the human thermal comfort sensation. To examine the effect, both subjective comfort and thermal sensation were measured by the comfort sensation vote (CSV) and the thermal sensation vote (TSV) in thermal environmental conditions during heating or cooling. CSV was used by Tanabe (1998) and TSV was defined in ASHRAE (1989). In addition, physical environmental variables such as the air temperature, relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, and the predicted mean vote (PMV) were used as the indices of thermal comfort sensation, and then the relationships between physical environmental variables and subjective variables were examined. The results showed a significant relationship between the PMV and the TSV, whereas a significant relationship was not shown between the PMV and the CSV even if there was a significant relationship between the relative humidity from the components of the PMV and the CSV. These results imply that PMV does not reflect human thermal comfort sensation adequately, and humidity control may be important in reflecting human thermal comfort sensation in indoor environments.