Quantitative effect on work performance considering interactions among multiple indoor environmental factors

• Published in: Building and environment Vol. 185; p. 107286
• Main Authors: Wu, Jialin, Hou, Zhijian, Shen, Jingyun, Lian, Zhiwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Air conditioners; Air supplies; Air temperature; Environmental factors; High temperature; Humidity; Indoor environments; Interaction; Low temperature; Multi-factor environmental effects; Relative humidity; Response surface methodology; Work performance; Workplaces; Response surface methodology; Multi-factor environmental effects; Work performance; Interaction
• ISSN: 0360-1323; 1873-684X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107286

The relationship between work performance and single experimental factors of temperature, relative humidity and fresh air (100% outside air) has been extensively studied, while little literature investigated quantitative interaction among these factors. In this paper, 18 subjects performed neurobehavioral tests in an artificial climate chamber under 20 experimental conditions base on central composite design. Response surface methodology was applied to visually explore the performance change of three types of tasks including perception, expression, and number calculation. Both physiological and psychological results showed that performance was more affected by relative humidity under high temperature conditions, the degree of which was 4–10% greater than that under low temperature conditions. No consistent relationship was found between performance and fresh air when temperature was below 25 °C. However, at high temperature, fresh air of 25 l/(s·per) could compensate for performance loss caused by 1–2 °C increase of temperature. In addition, interaction between relative humidity and fresh air only occurred at high temperature. The results obtained in this paper may provide convincing data for the design of personalized air supply in workplaces where air-conditioners cannot be guaranteed. •Three environmental factors are comprehensively analyzed considering interactions.•The equivalence of work performance caused by temperature and fresh air is found.•The effect of relative humidity is quantified and compared at 22 °C and 28 °C.•Interactions between relative humidity and fresh air strongly rely on ambient temperature.