Publication
Title
A review of human thermal comfort experiments in controlled and semi-controlled environments
Author
Abstract
There are three main methods to improve thermal comfort in existing buildings: modeling, experiments and measurements. Regarding experiments, no standardized procedure exists. This article provides an answer to the question: "What is the most common practice for human thermal comfort experiments in (semi-) controlled environments?". A total of 166 articles presenting results on 206 experiments were collected and analyzed to extrapolate the most common practice. The results are arranged in five main themes: subjects (e.g. number and age), climate chamber (e.g. surface area), thermal environment, experimental procedure (e.g. phases and duration), and questionnaire. A typical experiment was found to employ 25 subjects and to take place in a permanent climate chamber with a floor area of 24 m(2) During the experiment, 3 air temperature variations are used. The test itself takes 115 min, but is preceded by a preconditioning and conditioning phase. The subject is given a questionnaire at regular intervals of 15 min, with questions highly dependent on topic, but including thermal sensation and comfort vote rated on a bipolar 7-level scale. Number of subjects, gender distribution, type and floor area of the climate chamber and utilization rate of the scale for rating thermal comfort and sensation are all linked to topic, as well as number of different air temperatures, whether conditioning is employed and questions in the questionnaire. Several links between experiment characteristics reciprocally are also identified.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Renewable and sustainable energy reviews. - Oxford, 1997, currens
Publication
Oxford : Pergamon-elsevier science ltd , 2018
ISSN
1364-0321 [print]
1879-0690 [online]
DOI
10.1016/J.RSER.2017.10.053
Volume/pages
82 :3 (2018) , p. 3365-3378
ISI
000418574800098
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
The influence of construction details on the energy performance of existing dwellings
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 08.02.2018
Last edited 04.03.2024
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