RP-884 — Developing an Adaptive Model of Thermal Comfort and Preference

Current comfort standards prescribe a static “ideal” temperature that is to be maintained uniformly over space and constant over time. Such a static temperature standard can require significant quantities of energy to maintain. However, a person’s satisfaction with the thermal environment can depend on time, building form and function, the relationship of the indoor and outdoor climates, social conditioning, cultural expectations, and other contextual factors in addition to the immediate physical environment. This complexity implies that a variable standard is needed which takes all these factors into account.

The objective of this finalreports project is to collate data from field experiments conducted across different climatic regions of the world, to develop an adaptive model of thermal comfort based on the cumulative results of these field investigations and to propose a variable temperature standard that might supplement ASHRAE Standard 55-92.