Field Study on Thermal Comfort and Adaptive Behaviors of University Students in the Cold Climate Zone

Abstract

This study focused on thermal acceptability and related adaptive behavioral characteristics of university students in mixed-mode and natural ventilated classrooms. From October 2018 to January 2019, an indoor field investigation was carried out in a university in Beijing, which is located in the Cold Climate Zone of China. A total of 158 student volunteers in 19 different classrooms were tracked and investigated as the participants and the environmental parameters in every classroom were monitored regularly. The researchers gathered 1361 valid datasets of subjective questionnaires and objective measurements concerning occupants’ thermal comfort. The neutral operative temperature was found to be 23.1 °C using linear regression analysis. Females’ neutral temperatures were a little higher than males’, ranging between 0.2 and 0.5 °C. Occupants are more prone to adopt behaviors that have little impact on others and more likely to adopt spatial behaviors as the temperature increased. The behaviors taken the most are taking clothing adjustments, food intaking, windows, doors, and reseat. There were stronger correlations between adaptive behaviors and the operative temperature. If the current indoor temperature is replaced by a neutral temperature for heating, energy efficiency will be improved. The research results can serve as a guideline that evaluates indoor thermal comfort in educational buildings and provide more theoretical support for architectural design in the region.