Concordia Study Finds 2 Wearable Fans Match Desk Fan Comfort at 25C, Cutting Office Energy Use
Updated
Updated · Mirage News · Aug 19
Concordia Study Finds 2 Wearable Fans Match Desk Fan Comfort at 25C, Cutting Office Energy Use
3 articles · Updated · Mirage News · Aug 19
Summary
Two wearable fans cooled office users nearly as effectively as desk fans in Concordia tests, suggesting a lower-power way to maintain comfort without relying as heavily on air conditioning.
At 25 degrees Celsius, researchers compared a face fan and neck fan with bladed and bladeless desk fans using a 23-segment thermal manikin that tracked skin temperature, heat loss and comfort.
The bladed desk fan delivered the strongest cooling, but both wearables closely matched the bladeless desk fan and provided comfort comparable to a low-speed bladed fan.
The face and neck matter because they cover just 5.5% of body surface yet are highly temperature-sensitive; the face fan raised facial heat loss by as much as 7 watts.
The study points to targeted cooling as a practical fit for hybrid offices, where a few people may occupy large spaces and centralized HVAC can keep running at lower energy cost.