Abstract
PMV (predicted mean vote) defined in ISO-7730 is widely used for evaluation, design and control of thermal environments. This study discusses the physical meaning of thermal load defined mainly by PMV, based on the heat balance equation between the human body and the environment, and verifies the thermal load, heat resistance between the skin and the environment and response to thermal sensations from the results of testing a subject in the cold-neutral thermal environments. This paper also presents the limits of application of PMV and qualitatively analyzes the influence of its use outside the comfort range.
