TY - JOUR
T1 - A Pilot Study on the Combined Multi-domain Impact of Indoor Air Quality and Noise on Office Productivity
AU - Deng, Zhipeng
AU - Dong, Bing
AU - Guo, Xin
AU - Zhang, Jianshun Jensen
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments This study was supported by Honeywell International Inc and Syracuse University. The human subject tests in this paper were approved by Syracuse University IRB Protocol #22-161.
Funding Information:
This study was supported by Honeywell International Inc and Syracuse University. The human subject tests in this paper were approved by Syracuse University IRB Protocol #22-161.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2023.
PY - 2023/6/16
Y1 - 2023/6/16
N2 - As people spend 90% of their time indoors, it was necessary to improve indoor environmental quality to enhance human productivity. Indoor environmental quality consists of indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort. However, only a few studies have investigated the combined effects of IAQ and noise. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, portable air cleaner is often used in buildings to reduce the concentration of particles in the air, but it also generates noise. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of a portable air cleaner on IAQ and noise level, and more importantly the resulting combined effects on office productivity. For this purpose, we conducted human subject tests in an office and each test lasted for 1.5h. For each case, the air temperature, relative humidity, and supply airflow rate were kept constant while the air cleaner was switched between on and off for various noise levels and IAQ. We recruited 7 participants and collected data on the concentration of CO2, particles, and TVOC every 5 minutes. We used wristbands to measure heart rate and skin electrodermal activity. And we used headbands to measure electroencephalogram (EEG) and facial activity. The questionnaire survey was used to learn the occupants' responses to the indoor environment. To learn their productivity, occupants also did math addition tasks and typing tasks. We found that when using the portable air cleaner, the noise level raised from 55dB to around 70dB. The particle and TVOC concentrations were reduced by 90% and 20%, respectively. The questionnaire survey showed that the occupants felt unsatisfied due to noise. And the noise dissatisfaction exceeded the improved IAQ. By analyzing the EEG and the number of jaw clenches, the occupants felt more nervous and concentrated when the air cleaner was on. We confirmed the impact of noise and the combined impact of IAQ and noise on office productivity.
AB - As people spend 90% of their time indoors, it was necessary to improve indoor environmental quality to enhance human productivity. Indoor environmental quality consists of indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal, visual, and acoustic comfort. However, only a few studies have investigated the combined effects of IAQ and noise. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, portable air cleaner is often used in buildings to reduce the concentration of particles in the air, but it also generates noise. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of a portable air cleaner on IAQ and noise level, and more importantly the resulting combined effects on office productivity. For this purpose, we conducted human subject tests in an office and each test lasted for 1.5h. For each case, the air temperature, relative humidity, and supply airflow rate were kept constant while the air cleaner was switched between on and off for various noise levels and IAQ. We recruited 7 participants and collected data on the concentration of CO2, particles, and TVOC every 5 minutes. We used wristbands to measure heart rate and skin electrodermal activity. And we used headbands to measure electroencephalogram (EEG) and facial activity. The questionnaire survey was used to learn the occupants' responses to the indoor environment. To learn their productivity, occupants also did math addition tasks and typing tasks. We found that when using the portable air cleaner, the noise level raised from 55dB to around 70dB. The particle and TVOC concentrations were reduced by 90% and 20%, respectively. The questionnaire survey showed that the occupants felt unsatisfied due to noise. And the noise dissatisfaction exceeded the improved IAQ. By analyzing the EEG and the number of jaw clenches, the occupants felt more nervous and concentrated when the air cleaner was on. We confirmed the impact of noise and the combined impact of IAQ and noise on office productivity.
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U2 - 10.1051/e3sconf/202339601047
DO - 10.1051/e3sconf/202339601047
M3 - Conference Article
AN - SCOPUS:85164484210
SN - 2555-0403
VL - 396
JO - E3S Web of Conferences
JF - E3S Web of Conferences
M1 - 01047
T2 - 11th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings, IAQVE C2023
Y2 - 20 May 2023 through 23 May 2023
ER -