Gender differences in thermal comfort and use of thermostats in everyday thermal environments

Urbanization has influenced the distribution of heat in urban environments. The mutual influence between weather factors and urban forms created by dense buildings intensify human perception of the deteriorating thermal environment in subtropics. Past studies have used real-world measurements and theoretical simulations to understand the relationship between climate factors and the urban heat island effect. However, few studies have examined how weather factors and urban forms are connected to the thermal environment. To understand the influence of various weather factors on urban thermal environments in various urban forms, this study applied structural equation modeling to assumptions of linear relationships and used quantitative statistical analysis of weather data as well as structural conversion of this data to establish the structural relationships between variables. Our objective was to examine the relationships among urban forms, weather factors, and thermal comfort. Our results indicate that weather factors do indeed exert influence on thermal comfort in urban environments. In addition, the thermal comfort of urban thermal environments varies with location and building density. In hot and humid environments in the subtropics, humidity and wind speed have an even more profound impact on the thermal environment. Apparent temperature can be used to examine differences in thermal comfort and urban forms. This study also proved that an urban wind field can effectively mitigate the urban heat island effect. Ventilation driven by wind and thermal buoyancy can dissipate heat islands and take the heat away from urban areas.

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Study on Design Strategies for Improving Outdoor Thermal Comfort in the Cold Regions of China

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.250-253.3798 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 250-253 ◽

pp. 3798-3801 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jing Li ◽

Yu Liu

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

North China ◽

Outdoor Environment ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Cold Regions ◽

Winter Climate ◽

Thermal Environments ◽

The North ◽

Xi’An City

Along with the improvement of dwelling quality, the length of time and frequency of outdoor activities in winter greatly increase in the north China area, although the outdoor thermal environments are still unsatisfactory. It is necessary for both planners and architects to improve outdoor thermal environments in the cold regions of north China. This paper firstly introduces the general winter climate features in some north China cities. Then, it takes Xi'an city as an example to show the shortage of uncomfortable outdoor environment. Thirdly, the design strategies to improve outdoors thermal comfort include wind and snow protection, sunlight usage, environmental zones and recreational facilities, etc. are discussed.

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Thermal comfort analyses of naturally ventilated university classrooms

Structural Survey ◽

10.1108/ss-12-2015-0055 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (4/5) ◽

pp. 427-445 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Baharuddin Hamzah ◽

Muhammad Taufik Ishak ◽

Syarif Beddu ◽

Mohammad Yoenus Osman

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

National Standard ◽

Content Type ◽

Thermal Environments ◽

Neutral Temperature ◽

Radiant Temperature ◽

University Classrooms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse thermal comfort and the thermal environment in naturally ventilated classrooms. Specifically, the aims of the study were to identify the thermal environment and thermal comfort of respondents in naturally ventilated university classrooms and compare them with the ASHRAE and Indonesian National Standard (SNI); to check on whether the predicted mean vote (PMV) model is applicable or not for predicting the thermal comfort of occupants in naturally ventilated university classrooms; and to analyse the neutral temperature of occupants in the naturally ventilated university classrooms. Design/methodology/approach The study was carried out at the new campus of Faculty of Engineering, Hasanuddin University, Gowa campus. A number of field surveys, which measured thermal environments, namely, air temperature, mean radiant temperature (MRT), relative humidity, and air velocity, were carried out. The personal activity and clothing properties were also recorded. At the same time, respondents were asked to fill a questionnaire to obtain their thermal sensation votes (TSV) and thermal comfort votes (TCV), thermal preference, and thermal acceptance. A total of 118 respondents participated in the study. Before the survey was conducted, a brief explanation was provided to the participants to ensure that they understood the study objectives and also how to fill in the questionnaires. Findings The results indicated that the surveyed classrooms had higher thermal environments than those specified in the well-known ASHRAE standard and Indonesian National Standard (SNI). However, this condition did not make respondents feel uncomfortable because a large proportion of respondents voted within the comfort zone (+1, 0, and −1). The predictive mean vote using the PMV model was higher than the respondents’ votes either by TSV or by TCV. There was a huge difference between neutral temperature using operative temperature (To) and air temperature (Ta). This difference may have been because of the small value of MRT recorded in the measured classrooms. Originality/value The research shows that the use of the PMV model in predicting thermal comfort in the tropic region might be misleading. This is because PMV mostly overestimates the TSV and TCV of the respondents. People in the tropic region are more tolerant to a higher temperature. On the basis of this finding, there is a need to develop a new thermal comfort model for university classrooms that is particularly optimal for this tropical area.

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Gender Differences in Thermal Comfort and Responses to Skin Cooling by Air Conditioners in the Japanese Summer

Journal of the Human-Environment System ◽

10.1618/jhes.18.011 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 011-020 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ayako Yasuoka ◽

Hiroko kubo ◽

Kazuyo Tsuzuki ◽

Norio Isoda

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Air Conditioners ◽

Skin Cooling

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Quantification of indoor environments and study of thermal comfort in naturally hostel buildings in the tropical country, India

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201911102059 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 111 ◽

pp. 02059

Author(s):

Sanjay Kumar ◽

Manoj Kumar Singh ◽

Varun Kumar Gupta

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Monsoon Season ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Good Health ◽

Learning Performance ◽

Indoor Environments ◽

Tropical Country ◽

Thermal Environments ◽

Adaptive Action

Hostel buildings prime objective is to provide better thermal environments to the students for their good health and learning performance. In India, a very few studies are done on the thermal environments of multi-storied naturally ventilated hostel buildings. We carried out a thermal comfort study in two mid-rise (~G+5 floors) naturally ventilated (NV) hostel buildings during monsoon season (August-September, 2018). The field study conducted for three consecutive weeks collecting 642 valid subjective responses with objective information regarding thermal parameters of 253 rooms. Statistical analysis of student’s responses and measured thermal environment variables was performed for assessing inter buildings effects, different weather conditions (rainy or cloudy) and daytime duration (morning, afternoon and evening), respectively. The study finds the mean thermal neutrality at 29.9°C for the studied group using Griffiths’ method. The results suggested that more than 80% of subjects were voting within central three categories when indoor operative temperature ranged between 28-32.1°C. The primary adaptive action of occupants includes switching on the fans (100%) followed by the opening of external doors (80%) and opening or closing of windows (55%) to restore thermal comfort in built environments.

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