Thermal comfort in residential buildings with passive and active acclimatization

A field study conducted in 189 dwellings in winter and 205 dwellings in summer, both passively and actively acclimatized, included detailed physical measurements and documentation of actual thermal conditions, occupant responses and behavior patterns. Predicted mean thermal sensation votes were found to be significantly lower than those reported, especially for the winter and summer air-conditioned samples. The basic assumption of a proportional relation between thermal response and thermal load, which prevails in the existing standard thermal comfort model, proved to be inadequate, with actual thermal comfort achieved at substantially lower loads than predicted. The discrepancies between predicted and recorded responses highlight the role of contextual variables (local climate, occupants' expectations, and available control) in thermal adaptation in real world settings. Thermal comfort models should therefore allow for statistical adjustments that would enable them to reflect the environmental context for which they are intended.