The Future of Thermal Comfort in an Energy- Constrained World

Tracing scientific and business factors that have resulted in air-conditioning being a major contributor to climate-change, the author advances the theory of personalized thermal comfort, which can potentially resolve the air-conditioning conundrum.

The dissertation investigates the scientific and business factors that have resulted in air-conditioning being a major contributor to climate-change. With his architectural background, the author demonstrates how a design methodology, not commonly adopted in scientific studies, may actually be a suitable way of dealing with a complex problem: the 'business as usual' scenario involving building science, sociological values and consumer behavior. Using his innovations as case studies, the author shows how good ideas cannot be evaluated on scientific merit alone and demonstrates why commercialization may have a pivotal role in deployment of research-based technology. He advances the theory of personalized thermal comfort which can potentially resolve the air-conditioning conundrum.

Nominated as an outstanding PhD thesis by the University of Tasmania, Australia Investigates the scientific and business factors that have resulted in air-conditioning being a major contributor to climate-change Proposes the theory of personalized thermal comfort as potential solution of the air-conditioning conundrum and describes the invention of DTAC: the Ductless Task-Air-Conditioning unit Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
The State of the World.- Literature Review: Thermal Comfort and Air-Conditioning.- Brain Cooling.- Comfort Energetics Thermal Comfort Under Energy Constraints.-Research Methodology.- The Rain Tower.- Finding a market-oriented solution.- Personal air-conditioning.- Field Testing DTAC, Methodology & Results.- Future Research.- Future Research.