Fibres and Textiles 30(3), 2023, 80-83 DOI: 10.15240/tul/008/2023-1-014 IMPROVING LOCAL THERMAL COMFORT IN BUILDINGS: A STUDY OF PROPERTIES OF HEATING TEXTILE COMPOSITES IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY KANIA ANNA * AND BARBURSKI MARCIN Lodz University of Technology, Faculty of Material Technologies and Textile Design, Institute of Architecture of Textiles, ul. Żeromskiego 116, 90-543 Łódź, Poland ABSTRACT The focus of this study is to analyze heating and insulating properties of textiles utilized in the construction industry. Research regarding textile heating composites typically centers around their use in the fashion industry and personal thermal comfort. Therefore, the study focuses on the application of textile heating composites as a method for improving the local thermal comfort of the user. The aim of this project was to analyze and describe the heating and insulating properties of electroconductive yarns and insulating textiles used in the construction industry. This goal was achieved by building physical samples that underwent heating tests. The next step was to compare the examined properties and select the best combination of yarn and fabric, which was then tested in the target environment. It was concluded that the best heating results are achieved with steel thread embroidered on fiberglass mesh and combined with extruded polystyrene that can be used to improve the local thermal comfort of the user. KEYWORDS Electroconductive yarns; Heating; Embroidery; Personal thermal comfort; Composite; Building. * Corresponding author: Barburski M., e-mail: marcin.barburski@p.lodz.pl INTRODUCTION The search for new materials with better and better properties has led to the creation of a new group of materials known as composite materials. When designing innovative composite materials, they consider the operating conditions and the loads under which they will work. The rapidly growing industry related to the production of composite combines issues in the field of textiles, metallurgy, mechanics and chemistry of polymers, and plastics processing. [4] A special field of composites is the combination of textiles and electronics, known as textronics. Programmable products can be produced through technical embroidery, weaving, or wreathing, and thanks to the use of flat textile products, they are flexible and portable. Popular applications of textronics are actively heating clothes or garments that measure basic life parameters. [1], [8], [10]. Heating textile composites have been described and tested mainly in the application of the fashion industry and personal thermal comfort products. [2], [9] For building heating usually used are classic heating systems with radiators connected directly to the power plant or to local water heating systems. [5], [7] Floor heating is used less frequently, usually in combination with one of the aforementioned heating methods, as an additional element increasing the local thermal comfort of the user. [11] Thermal comfort is a mental state in which a person subjectively feels a sense of warmth. It depends on two kinds of factors:  Thermal conditions, including air temperature, humidity, air movement, and radiant temperature, e.g., cool air near a window.  Workers' individual personal factors, such as level of physical activity and clothing. Physical factors such as weight, gender, and age are also important variables. [6] EXPERIMENTAL Materials and fabrication procedures A steel thread with a nominal electrical resistance of 27Ω per meter, a silvered thread with a nominal electrical resistance of 80Ω per meter, and a carbon rowing of unknown nominal electrical resistance were used to create a technical embroidery on a fiberglass mesh of 330g/m 2 density and 30mm thick extruded polystyrene was used as insulation material, covered with 5mm thick expanded