This book introduces non-uniform thermal environment management methods. Vertically, the non-uniform thermal environment management methods focus on improving the supply efficiency of conditioned air into the occupied zone rather than the unoccupied zone for energy saving while maintaining thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Horizontally, the non-uniform thermal environment management methods focus on differentiating subzone thermal conditions in the occupied zone according to the individual thermal demands for improved thermal preference satisfaction. The book is intended for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and engineers who are interested in cutting-edge technologies for sustainable and healthy built environments.

Occupants’ thermal demands are spatially non-uniform, which is ignored by the traditional thermal environment management. Managing indoor thermal environment with an air conditioning system according to the spatially non-uniform occupants’ thermal demands not only reduces the energy consumption by avoiding unnecessarily conditioning the unoccupied zone, but also improves thermal comfort by avoiding insufficient or excessive conditioning of the occupied zone.

Dr. Sheng Zhang received his B.E. degree in Energy and Environment Application Engineering from Zhejiang University in 2014, and Ph.D. degree in Building Services from City University of Hong Kong in 2020. He served a postdoc in City University of Hong Kong for one year and has been in Xi’an Jiaotong University as an associate professor since Feb 2021. Dr. Zhang’ research interest focuses on indoor environment quality oriented low-carbon building technology, and his academic achievements include 1) proposing systematic ventilation performance indices; 2) proposing advanced air distribution, i.e., graded ventilation; 3) proposing control principles and methods of non-uniform collective thermal environment for individual thermal preferences and energy efficiency; 4) proposing mechanisms and methods for non-pandemic and pandemic ventilation control; and 5) developing air source and ground source based renewable heating and cooling energy systems. Dr. Zhang has published more than 80 SCI papers o JCR Q1 journals (as first/corresponding author for more than 60 SCI papers) and received more than 10 research projects.

Mr. Ruifeng Wang earned his BEng in Building Environment and Energy Application Engineering from Hefei University of Technology (2020) and MEng in Civil and Hydraulic Engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University (2023). He has been pursuing his PhD at Xi’an Jiaotong University since September 2025. Mr. Ruifeng Wang’s research interests mainly focus on advanced air distribution strategies and renewable energy utilization technologies. His academic contributions are summarized as follows: 1) Advanced air distribution; 2) Nonuniform thermal environments; 3) Medium-deep/medium-shallow borehole heat exchangers for building heating; 4) Thermal energy storage with borehole heat exchangers. Mr. Wang has published 6 SCI papers.

Prof. Zhang Lin is the Chair Professor in Built Environment at City University of Hong Kong. Prof. Lin received his B.E. degree in Air Conditioning from Tsinghua University in 1983 and his Ph.D. degree in Processing and Environmental Technology from Massey University in 1995. Prof. Lin’s research interests are Built Environment and Renewable Energy Systems, including advanced air distribution, indoor and outdoor thermal comfort, indoor air quality, solar energy systems, etc. Prof. Lin has published more than 180 SCI papers and is among the world’s Top 2% scientists. He is a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers, the Institution of Engineers of Australia, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the Extended Building Committee, Building Department, the Hong Kong SAR government, etc. Prof. Lin is the editorial board member of international journals of Building Simulation, and Buildings.