Feasibility of the adaptive thermal comfort model under warm sub-humid climate conditions: Cooling energy savings in Campeche, Mexico

Abstract

The conventional approach to achieve thermal comfort generally focuses on modifying the setpoint temperature in fully air-conditioned buildings. However, the adaptive thermal comfort approach is an alternative that considers the interaction between buildings, the local climate, and the users to allow significant improvements in energy savings. This paper analyzes the feasibility of implementing adaptive thermal comfort strategies, comparing adaptive models based on the ASHRAE 55-2020 Standard and a regional model for the tropical climate typology of Mexico, and contrasting the results with the static approach. Thirteen locations in the State of Campeche were thermally analyzed, seeing that the ventilation strategies are applicable throughout the State and that both models ensure improvements in energy consumption. In addition, the results suggest that it is necessary to develop more local adaptive models to propose strategies with better potential impact in the region.