Adaptive thermal comfort models for homes for older people in Shanghai, China

Abstract

This research focused on adaptive thermal comfort in homes for older people in the hot summer and cold winter climate zone of China. A field study was conducted throughout the four seasons beginning in January 2014 and ending in April 2017 in Shanghai, China. The survey included simultaneous measurements of outdoor and indoor environmental parameters and an assessment of the participants’ sensations using questionnaires. A total of 19 homes for older people and 64 buildings were surveyed; 1040 measured data points and subjective questionnaires were obtained. The sensation ratings were analyzed, and thermal comfort temperature was calculated using regression methods. Results showed that thermal comfort assessments of older people in Shanghai should use –0.2 < TSV < +0.2 as the standard, yielding acceptable temperature ranges for older people of 14.1–19.4 ℃ in winter, 23.8–27.0 ℃ in summer, and 20.6–31.7 ℃ in mid-season. Adaptive thermal comfort models in different seasons showed that, first, the predictions of the winter and summer models were both reliable. Second, the thermal adaptive models of the mid-season intersected with the ASHRAE 55 model at 20.5 ℃ and was within the applicable range of the mid-season model (10–20.8 ℃); under the same outdoor temperature conditions, the neutral temperatures predicted by the EN15251 model and the ASHRAE 55 model were higher than the predicted values of the mid-season thermal adaptive model. Third, the slopes of both the winter and summer thermal adaptive models were slightly lower than those of the GB/T50785-2012 model. These results can be used to assess indoor thermal comfort in homes for older people and help create age-friendly building environments in China.