Work Comfort in a Home Office with Mechanical Ventilation—A Case Study

Abstract

: The paper presents an analysis of the work comfort in a home office located in a single-family building with supply and exhaust ventilation with heat recovery. The noise level was measured, and the subjective feelings of the working person were analysed. The analysis covered five fan efficiency settings: fan off, low, normal, high and maximum. The highest sound level (31–32 dB(A)) was observed for the maximum and high power of the fan. Normal and low fan levels resulted in a similar noise level of 20–21 dB(A). The sound level influenced the feeling of work comfort of the person. At the highest and maximum level of fan operation, the person complained about noise and draft. The low level did not adversely affect the comfort of work. The normal level, most often set by household members, resulted in the absence of draught or the sensation of a slight draught, and the ventilation operation was described as not onerous or slightly onerous. Workplace comfort depends on the operating conditions of the ventilation system (noise level, air velocity and temperature) and on the subjective feelings of the person working. In order to improve comfort, it is recommended that one locate the workplace away from the ventilation elements.