Effect of gender difference on sleeping comfort and building energy utilization: Field study on test chamber with thermoelectric air-cooling system

In this study we have examined the gender-wise differences in sleeping behavior of volunteers subjected to thermo-electric air conditioning test-room conditions. For this purpose, fifteen males and fifteen female subjects were recruited. After filling the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PQSI) questionnaire, each subject was required to sleep in the room under all the three study conditions i.e. normally ventilated room (NH), thermoelectrically cooled room at input power supply of 600 W and thermoelectrically cooled room at power input of 720 W. Each subject was required to complete one night's sleep in each of the study conditions. Objective sleeping parameters such as body movement, heart rate, sleeping quality were measured using a Fitbit Alta HR watch. A subjective assessment of the sleep quality was also done after each session. The observed findings were compared for all the three conditions for each subject. It was found that male subjects had an overall better sleep quality at a lower surrounding temperature as compared to the female subjects. For female subjects the indoor environment was found to be comfortable to slightly cold when the thermoelectric cooling system was operated at 600 W. On the other the male subjects had a better sleep quality at 720 W. Based on these cooling requirements, males are estimated to consume 485 kWh more energy annually (which would result in CO ₂ emissions in excess of 6 tons) as compared to females to maintain comfortable sleeping environment.