The validity of predicted mean vote for airconditioned offices

Purpose To examine the role of predicted mean vote PMV in airconditioned environments by conducting a thermal comfort study. Designmethodologyapproach A formal statistical approach was adopted for the credibility of the study. Thermal measurements and questionnaire filling were carried out in commercial offices to collect the required data. Statistical analysis on the collected data and logical reasoning were then employed to derive the conclusions. Findings Provide an evidence to support PMV to be an appropriate thermal comfort index in airconditioned environments. Guarantee high productivity of occupants by using PMV in airconditioning control. Research limitationsimplications Future research work should be carried out to investigate any significant relationship between improvement in PMV and the profits gained by occupants inside an airconditioned space. With such relationship, it is possible to develop an intelligent airconditioning control to yield the most costeffective thermal environments for commercial offices. Practical implications Airconditioning engineers are highly recommended to employ PMV to assess the thermal comfort environment in airconditioned offices. Originalityvalue This paper highlights the importance aspect on choosing a thermal comfort index for comfort assessment in airconditioned offices. The index itself should not consider adaptive actions. Otherwise, the productivity of occupants would be severely deteriorated. It is well known that PMV is the thermal comfort index that can fulfill this requirement.