{"title":"Effect of Low-E glass on local skin temperature and thermal sensation in vehicle cabins under cold winter environments","authors":"Hikari Ryuzaki , Yoshiichi Ozeki , Akihisa Nomoto , Reika Miura , Kan Shindo , Yasuki Moriya , Hiromu Hiruma , Shin-ichi Tanabe","doi":"10.1016/j.indenv.2025.100108","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated the effects of Low-E glass on the thermal environment inside a vehicle cabin under winter conditions and its impact on occupants’ thermal physiology and sensation. A human subject experiment was conducted, where participants seated near either Low-E or Normal glass and voted their local and whole-body thermal sensations. Their local skin temperatures and the thermal environment in the vehicle were measured. The plane radiant and equivalent temperatures near Low-E glass were 11.0 °C and 4.5 °C higher, respectively, than near Normal glass. Local skin temperatures decreased less in the Low-E condition compared to the Normal condition. Local thermal sensations were generally warmer in the Low-E condition, particularly for the cheek and hand, even though the impact on whole-body thermal sensation was limited. Females were more sensitive to the improved radiative environment provided by Low-E glass than males. These findings show the effectiveness of Low-E glass in enhancing radiant environment in the vehicle and occupant comfort, which could help improving energy efficiency of vehicles and innovative vehicle designs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100665,"journal":{"name":"Indoor Environments","volume":"2 3","pages":"Article 100108"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Indoor Environments","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950362025000372","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of Low-E glass on the thermal environment inside a vehicle cabin under winter conditions and its impact on occupants’ thermal physiology and sensation. A human subject experiment was conducted, where participants seated near either Low-E or Normal glass and voted their local and whole-body thermal sensations. Their local skin temperatures and the thermal environment in the vehicle were measured. The plane radiant and equivalent temperatures near Low-E glass were 11.0 °C and 4.5 °C higher, respectively, than near Normal glass. Local skin temperatures decreased less in the Low-E condition compared to the Normal condition. Local thermal sensations were generally warmer in the Low-E condition, particularly for the cheek and hand, even though the impact on whole-body thermal sensation was limited. Females were more sensitive to the improved radiative environment provided by Low-E glass than males. These findings show the effectiveness of Low-E glass in enhancing radiant environment in the vehicle and occupant comfort, which could help improving energy efficiency of vehicles and innovative vehicle designs.