Thermal comfort characteristics and regulation methods of offices with intermittent radiant heating systems

Indoor thermal comfort and energy efficiency of intermittent radiant heating systems are critical for their application in hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) regions and building energy management. This study developed a FLUENT model to evaluate an office’s thermal comfort and energy consumption, and an artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict operative temperature and energy use, with radiant panel temperature, area ratio, and heating duration as inputs. A case study in an HSCW office showed that envelope and indoor operative temperatures (Top) rise gradually during intermittent heating. Higher panel temperature and area shortened preheating time but reduced thermal comfort duration, potentially mismatching working hours and causing overheating. While different parameter combinations could yield the same preheating time, preheating energy consumption varied greatly. Preheating time and working hours are key to total energy use: longer preheating suits longer working hours, while shorter preheating is more efficient for sessions under 2 h. The findings offer vital guidance for the energy-efficient design and operation of such systems.