Study of Thermal Comfort in Free-Running Buildings Based on Adaptive Predicted Mean Vote

Abstract

A half-year field study of the thermal environment in rural houses in Western Sichuan Province was conducted from Jan. 2009 to Aug. 2009. In this recent study the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) is justified to be improper to some free-running buildings until some necessary revision is made. What's more, the study indicates that the distinctive deviation between the PMV and Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) may be caused by the adaptability and the low expectations to the thermal comfort of the local residents who have already get used to the climate and non-air-conditioned circumstances. This paper applies an Adaptive Predicted Mean Vote (aPMV) model of thermal comfort based on the Black Box theory, taking into account factors about people's circumstances, psychological and behavioral adaptations all by a coefficient λ. Data analysis shows that the aPMV fits better with the TSV than original PMV does.