Evaluation of Skin Temperature Response According to Foot Heater Type and Gender through Local Heating Experiments

Thermal comfort in indoor environments is crucial for occupant well-being, particularly when using personalized heating solutions such as foot heaters.This study examined the effects of two types of foot heaters-Type A (foot warmer type) and Type B (Partition wall type)-on skin temperature across various body parts in both male and female participants.The objective was to explore skin temperature changes over time, focusing on differences between heater types, genders, and HVAC set points (22 and 26).Skin temperatures were measured at intervals of 0, 20, and 40 min at the back of the neck, fingers, feet, forehead, and wrist.The results indicated that both heater type and HVAC set point significantly influenced skin temperature.At 22, Type A heaters provided a stable warming effect on the feet, with women's peak temperature reaching 26.7 at 20 min and men's reaching 33.7.Type B heaters, while providing a more balanced warming effect across body parts, demonstrated greater variability.At 26, Type A heaters increased the back of the neck temperature to 34.8 for women and 35.2 for men at 40 min, indicating a stronger and more consistent effect compared to Type B. Gender differences were also observed, with men consistently exhibiting higher mean skin temperatures than women across all body parts and set points.Additionally, Type A heaters maintained a more consistent warming effect, suggesting their superiority for sustained thermal comfort.In contrast, Type B heaters resulted in greater variability, especially for the fingers and back of the neck.These findings underscore the importance of foot heater type, HVAC set point, and gender in designing personalized heating strategies that optimize thermal comfort.