Abstract
The purpose of this study is to verify whether the score on warmth corresponds to the actual rating of subjects with regard to thermal comfort and satisfaction. Experiments were carried out in an experimental house in a climate chamber under five different thermal conditions, in which different combinations of air and floor temperatures were controlled by floor heating or air-conditioning systems. Twenty-four subjects rated their thermal sens2ation and satisfaction in each condition, and evaluated the thermal environment on a 100-point scale. The results of this experiment are as follows. It was suggested that score on warmth based on operative temperature and floor temperature more appropriately evaluates the living environment in Japan than the Predicted Mean Vote model, which assumes uniformity of the thermal environment. The score on warmth is considered a useful thermal environment index, which evaluates the comfort and satisfaction of residential houses in Japan. The score on warmth was 2.8 points when the percentage of comfort rating was more than 80%, and was 3.0 points when the percentage was more than 90%. In conclusion, these results show that it is possible to predict the risk of catching a cold in winter using the score on warmth.
Highlights
Residential houses built before 1980 in Japan have very poor thermal insulation [1]
Each score is calculated as a linear equation between 0 point and a perfect score. If this score is correlated with the actual rating, it is possible to predict the risk of catching a cold in winter using the score on warmth
The floor temperatures for the FH23 and AC23_FC conditions were approximately 27.3 °C and 17.2 °C, respectively
Summary
Since intermittent air conditioning is common in Japan, low thermal insulation causes temperatures to drop in non-living rooms during winter. It is necessary to create a healthy home environment for residents and propose an evaluation method. Given this background, Serikawa et al proposed an evaluation method utilizing the Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) Housing Health Checklist [3,4]. The evaluation method using score on warmth has not been verified by subjective experiments. By using the evaluation method proposed by Serikawa et al, it becomes possible to convert the physical quantity of thermal environment obtained by the simulation into a score for evaluating health. It will be possible to predict the incidence of colds in winter, which is one index of housing health performance
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