A new adaptive thermal comfort model for homes in temperate climates of Australia

Abstract

The dominant models of adaptive thermal comfort are derived from observations largely drawn from commercial and non-residential buildings. The appropriateness of these models for application in the evaluation or specification of residential thermal performance, however, remains largely untested and emerging work suggests that people within their own homes—with more opportunities for adaptation—have markedly different comfort preferences. This study draws on a substantial database of observations from Australian residential thermal comfort field studies, comprising of over 50,000 observations contributed by occupants of over 300 houses and apartments. We develop a new analytical procedure for the derivation of adaptive thermal comfort models. This paper describes the methodological issues and presents the derived model.