Indoor air quality and thermal comfort optimization in classrooms developing an automatic system for windows opening and closing

Thermal comfort and indoor air quality in school classrooms are essential requirements to promotestudents’ productivity and reduce health symptoms. This paper presents the development of an automaticsystem for window openings, based on thermal comfort and indoor air quality correlations. The researchwas carried out in two adjacent classrooms. The initial phase aimed at assessing environmental conditionsin classrooms, testing objective and subjective comfort models and establishing trigger parameters forwindow opening events; the second phase regarded the implementation of an adaptive control algorithmin an automatic system piloting windows with the aim of maintaining a satisfactory environment bothin terms of IAQ and thermal comfort. The main results show that: (1) the IAQ is a relevant issue in schoolclassrooms, because students usually suffer high CO2levels; (2) the stronger driving force for undertakingadaptive actions is thermal comfort, while the need to improve the air quality is a secondary constraint;(3) the mechanized system ensures a good quality in terms of IAQ, thermal comfort and users’ satisfaction.