mean radiant temperature

Due to its high demands regarding indoor environmental conditions, healthcare facilities are associated with high energy consumption. To move forward towards more demand driven and energy reduced conditioning, information on occupancy and temperature boundary conditions are crucial. Thermography-based systems enable data acquisition regarding both aspects in high local resolution. In this publication, we propose a thermography system that may be used for monitoring of rooms in healthcare facilities.

According to the Czech legislative act the operative temperature is the evaluation criterion for thermal comfort in air-conditioned or heated spaces. The operative temperature respects the air temperature; mean radiant temperature and air velocity. For mean radiant temperature calculation the surface temperature of the surrounding walls must be known. Manual calculation of the mean radiant temperature is very complicated and not suitable for practical usage since the surface temperatures are difficult to determine.

The treatment of roof space with cool paint or vegetation is a widely employed urban heat mitigation strategy. As the allocation of roof space for social activity becomes more prevalent in the urban environment, there is a need to understand how cool roofs and green roofs can affect the outdoor thermal comfort of its users.