Abstract
The study investigates the commonly used lighting and heating systems; examined the level of users’ satisfaction in the use of lighting and heating systems; identified the challenges associated with the lighting and heating systems; examined the effects of building lighting and heating systems; determined the commonly applied temperature and lighting control systems among the users; and examined the levels of effectiveness of the applied temperature controls all at the workstation buildings. These are with the view of establishing the effects of building lighting and heating systems on building performance and occupants.Primary data were collected from respondents which included university staff working from home, university staff working from school and the university students in the School of Art Design and Architecture. Data were collected during the Covid-19 pandemic seasons, as such online survey was adopted as the means of primary data collection. 60 university staff working from the university were surveyed and 46 responses were retrieved. Also, 60 universities working from home were surveyed and 33 responses were retrieved, 15 University department staff were surveyed of which 7 were retrieved while a survey of 120 students were conducted and 98 responses were retrieved. The additional data or responses from the students were obtained after the COVID pandemic when the students were able to be accessed on campus. Furthermore, the data obtained were analysed using various descriptive statistics such as averages, percentages, pie-chart and inferential statistics, Chi-Square.
The results revealed that 71% of the respondents chose a hot water radiator as the most common heating system at the workstation which happened to be the most used heating system. In addition, the result also showed that the most common lighting system being used at the workstation was a wall switch with a room sensor with a percentage of 53%. The result also showed that 68% and 63% of the respondents were satisfied with the lighting and heating systems respectively at the workstation which both represent the highest percentages. The identified challenge of the heating and lighting systems at the workstation was the glare, though few percentages of the respondents 28% identified that the glare problem was the challenge of heating and lighting. A larger percentage of 68% of the respondents did not identify glare problems at the workstation as the challenge of heating and lighting systems. The study also established that the heating and lighting systems had positive effects on the workstation buildings. This was inferred from the level of satisfaction of the respondents as larger percentages of the respondents were satisfied with the lighting and heating systems at the workstation buildings. Conclusively, the study showed that 39% of the respondents chose thermostatic radiator valves as the most commonly applied temperature control at the workstation, while 19% identified a time switch.
The study, therefore, concluded that the lighting and the heating systems had positive effects on the occupants who constituted the respondents. To this end, the occupants were satisfied with the heating and lighting systems at the workstation buildings. Similarly, the effects of the lighting and heating systems on the workstation buildings were as well found to be positive as larger percentages of the respondents were satisfied with the lighting and heating systems at the workstation buildings.
| Date of Award | 1 Nov 2023 |
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| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Adrian Pitts (Main Supervisor) & Ioanni Delsante (Co-Supervisor) |