Effect of a heated and cooled office chair on thermal comfort

A heated/cooled chair was evaluated for its effect on thermal sensation and comfort. Thirty college students participated in 150 1.75-h tests. Two heated/cooled chairs were placed in an environmental chamber resembling an office environment. The chamber temperatures were set at 16 degrees C, 18 degrees C, 25 degrees C, and 29 degrees C (60.8 degrees F, 64.4 degrees F, 77 degrees F, 84.2 degrees F). During the tests, subjects had full control of the chair surface temperature through a knob located on the desk. An additional 64 tests with 16 subjects were conducted at the same 4 temperatures but with regular mesh or cushion chairs in order to provide reference results for comparison. Subjective responses about thermal sensation, comfort, and temperature satisfaction were obtained at 20-min intervals and eight times before, during, and after a break period. The chair's energy consumption was monitored continuously. The results show that the heated/cooled chair strongly influences the subjects' thermal sensation and comfort, providing thermal comfort under all tested conditions, both warm and cool. The average power draw is 27W at 16 degrees C (60.8 degrees F), and 45.5W at 29 degrees C (84.2 degrees F) ambient conditions.