Evaluation of Eight Thermal Comfort Indices Based on Perception Survey for a Hot–Humid Climate through a Naturally Ventilated Apartment
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 4
Abstract
Several thermal comfort indices have been proposed over the years and studies have shown that these models do not work universally. This study compares eight thermal comfort indices with results of occupant-perception survey during May and December of a hot–humid climate of the southeast coast of the Indian Peninsula. A 14-story naturally ventilated apartment building with cruciform planform provided living rooms located at different orientation and height for the study. A week-long occupant’s comfort survey along with measurement of temperature, relative humidity, and indoor air velocity in the living rooms (located at different heights and orientations) during both in May and December were used for evaluating the thermal performance using predicted mean vote (PMV), e-PMV, a-PMV, TSI, SET, PTS ASHRAE–adaptive, and IMAC comfort scales. These indices were brought into a common seven-point scale, and the comparison was done in two stages: building level and then an in-depth comparison of shortlisted comfort indices by considering the microclimatic variation between living rooms located at different heights and directions. The indices that can predict the perception survey-based actual mean vote (AMV) closely under these variations are highlighted.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Adaji, M. U., T. O. Adekunle, R. Watkins, and G. Adler. 2019. “Indoor comfort and adaptation in low-income and middle-income residential buildings in a Nigerian city during a dry season.” Build. Environ. 162: 106276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106276.
Adunola, A. O., and K. Ajibola. 2016. “Factors significant to thermal comfort within residential neighborhoods of Ibadan metropolis and preferences in adult residents’ use of spaces.” SAGE Open 6 (1): 2158244015624949. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015624949.
Aflaki, A., N. Mahyuddin, G. Manteghi, and M. R. Baharum. 2014. “Building height effects on indoor air temperature and velocity in high rise residential buildings in tropical climate.” OIDA Int. J. Sustainable Dev. 7 (7): 39–48.
Ali, S. F., L. Sharma, D. Rakshit, and B. Bhattacharjee. 2020. “Influence of passive design parameters on thermal comfort of an office space in a building in Delhi.” J. Archit. Eng. 26 (3): 04020017. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000406.
Al-Obaidi, M. A. A. H., and P. Woods. 2006. “Investigations on effect of the orientation on thermal comfort in terraced housing in Malaysia.” Int. J. Low-Carbon Technol. 1 (2): 167–176. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijlct/1.2.167.
Al-Tamimi, N., and S. F. S. Fadzil. 2012. “Energy-efficient envelope design for high-rise residential buildings in Malaysia.” Archit. Sci. Rev. 55 (2): 119–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2012.667938.
Al-Tamimi, N. A. M., S. F. S. Fadzil, and W. M. Wan Harun. 2011. “The effects of orientation, ventilation, and varied WWR on the thermal performance of residential rooms in the tropics.” J. Sustainable Dev. 4 (2): 142–149.
Alves, C. A., D. H. S. Duarte, and F. L. T. Gonçalves. 2016. “Residential buildings’ thermal performance and comfort for the elderly under climate changes context in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.” Energy Build. 114: 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.06.044.
Anand, P., C. Deb, and R. Alur. 2017. “A simplified tool for building layout design based on thermal comfort simulations.” Front. Archit. Res.6 (2): 218–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2017.03.001.
Arens, E. A., et al. 2017. ANSI/ASHRAE standard 55-2017 thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy. Atlanta: ASHRAE.
ASHRAE. 2004. ANSI/ASHRAE standard 55-2004 thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy approved. Atlanta: ASHRAE.
Attia, S., and S. Carlucci. 2015. “Impact of different thermal comfort models on zero energy residential buildings in hot climate.” Energy Build. 102: 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.05.017.
Auliciems, A., and S. V. Szokolay. 2007. Thermal comfort. PLEA Notes. Brisbane, Australia: Passive and Low Energy Architecture International. Design Tools and Techniques, Note 3, 66.
Becker, R., and M. Paciuk. 2009. “Thermal comfort in residential buildings—Failure to predict by standard model.” Build. Environ. 44 (5): 948–960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.06.011.
Cândido, C., R. de Dear, and R. Lamberts. 2011. “Combined thermal acceptability and air movement assessments in a hot humid climate.” Build. Environ. 46 (2): 379–385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2010.07.032.
Cheng, V., and E. Ng. 2006. “Comfort temperatures for naturally ventilated buildings in Hong Kong.” Archit. Sci. Rev. 49 (2): 179–182. https://doi.org/10.3763/asre.2006.4924.
Dabe, T. J., and V. S. Adane. 2018. “The impact of building profiles on the performance of daylight and indoor temperatures in low-rise residential building for the hot and dry climatic zones.” Build. Environ. 140: 173–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.05.038.
de Dear, R., G. Brager, and D. Cooper. 1997. Developing an adaptive model of thermal comfort and preference. Final Rep. No. ASHRAE RP-884. Atlanta: ASHRAE.
Dili, A. S., M. A. Naseer, and T. Z. Varghese. 2010. “Thermal comfort study of Kerala traditional residential buildings based on questionnaire survey among occupants of traditional and modern buildings.” Energy Build. 42 (11): 2139–2150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.07.004.
Djamila, H., C.-M. Chu, and S. Kumaresan. 2013. “Field study of thermal comfort in residential buildings in the equatorial hot-humid climate of Malaysia.” Build. Environ. 62: 133–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2013.01.017.
Doctor-Pingel, M., V. Vardhan, S. Manu, G. Brager, and R. Rawal. 2019. “A study of indoor thermal parameters for naturally ventilated occupied buildings in the warm-humid climate of southern India.” Build. Environ. 151: 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.01.026.
Ealiwa, M., A. Taki, A. Howarth, and M. Seden. 2001. “An investigation into thermal comfort in the summer season of Ghadames, Libya.” Build. Environ. 36 (2): 231–237. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-1323(99)00071-2.
Fountain, M., and E. A. Arens. 1993. “Air movement and thermal comfort.” ASHRAE J. 35 (8): 26–30.
Gagge, A. P., A. P. Fobelets, and L. G. Berglund. 1986. “A standard predictive index of human reponse to thermal enviroment.” ASHRAE 92 (2B): 709–731.
Gao, J., Y. Wang, and P. Wargocki. 2015. “Comparative analysis of modified PMV models and SET models to predict human thermal sensation in naturally ventilated buildings.” Build. Environ. 92: 200–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.04.030.
Guedes, M. C., L. Matias, and C. P. Santos. 2009. “Thermal comfort criteria and building design: Field work in Portugal.” Renewable Energy 34 (11): 2357–2361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2009.03.004.
Haase, M., and A. Amato. 2009. “An investigation of the potential for natural ventilation and building orientation to achieve thermal comfort in warm and humid climates.” Sol. Energy 83 (3): 389–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2008.08.015.
Harahap, R. K., H. A. Karim, P. Ahmad, and M. I. P. Harahap. 2011. “Thermal comfort study in urban low-cost residential building in Shah Alam.” In Proc., 2011 IEEE Symp. on Business, Engineering and Industrial Applications, 303–307. New York: IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISBEIA.2011.6088826.
Heidari, S., and S. Sharples. 2002. “A comparative analysis of short-term and long-term thermal comfort surveys in Iran.” Energy Build. 34 (6): 607–614. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(02)00011-7.
Holopainen, R., P. Tuomaala, P. Hernandez, T. Häkkinen, K. Piira, and J. Piippo. 2014. “Comfort assessment in the context of sustainable buildings: Comparison of simplified and detailed human thermal sensation methods.” Build. Environ. 71: 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2013.09.009.
Indraganti, M. 2011. “Thermal comfort in apartments in India: Adaptive use of environmental controls and hindrances.” Renewable Energy 36 (4): 1182–1189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2010.10.002.
Ji, W., Y. Zhu, and B. Cao. 2020. “Development of the predicted thermal sensation (PTS) model using the ASHRAE global thermal comfort database.” Energy Build. 211: 109780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109780.
Khedari, J., N. Yamtraipat, N. Pratintong, and J. Hirunlabh. 2000. “Thailand ventilation comfort chart.” Energy Build. 32 (3): 245–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(00)00050-5.
Kim, J., R. de Dear, T. Parkinson, and C. Candido. 2017. “Understanding patterns of adaptive comfort behaviour in the Sydney mixed-mode residential context.” Energy Build. 141: 274–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.02.061.
Kubota, T., D. T. H. Chyee, and S. Ahmad. 2009. “The effects of night ventilation technique on indoor thermal environment for residential buildings in hot-humid climate of Malaysia.” Energy Build. 41 (8): 829–839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.03.008.
Liping, W., and W. N. Hien. 2007. “Applying natural ventilation for thermal comfort in residential buildings in Singapore.” Archit. Sci. Rev. 50 (3): 224–233.
Manu, S., Y. Shukla, R. Rawal, L. E. Thomas, and R. de Dear. 2016a. “Corrigendum to “field studies of thermal comfort across multiple climate zones for the subcontinent: India model for adaptive comfort (IMAC)” [building and environment 98 (2016) 55–70].” Build. Environ. 106: 422–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.07.015.
Manu, S., Y. Shukla, R. Rawal, L. E. Thomas, and R. de Dear. 2016b. “Field studies of thermal comfort across multiple climate zones for the subcontinent: India model for adaptive control (IMAC).” Build. Environ. 98: 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.12.019.
Mirrahimi, S., M. F. Mohamed, L. C. Haw, N. L. N. Ibrahim, W. F. M. Yusoff, and A. Aflaki. 2016. “The effect of building envelope on the thermal comfort and energy saving for high-rise buildings in hot-humid climate.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 53: 1508–1519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.09.055.
Nematchoua, M. K., R. Tchinda, and J. A. Orosa. 2014. “Adaptation and comparative study of thermal comfort in naturally ventilated classrooms and buildings in the wet tropical zones.” Energy Build. 85: 321–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.09.029.
Nguyen, A. T., M. K. Singh, and S. Reiter. 2012. “An adaptive thermal comfort model for hot humid South-East Asia.” Build. Environ. 56: 291–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.03.021.
Nicol, F. 2004. “Adaptive thermal comfort standards in the hot–humid tropics.” Energy Build. 36 (7): 628–637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2004.01.016.
Nicol, F., and M. Humphreys. 2010. “Derivation of the adaptive equations for thermal comfort in free-running buildings in European standard EN15251.” Build. Environ. 45 (1): 11–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2008.12.013.
Nicol, J. F., and M. A. Humphreys. 2002. “Adaptive thermal comfort and sustainable thermal standards for buildings.” Energy Build. 34 (6): 563–572. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(02)00006-3.
Ole Fanger, P. 1970. Thermal comfort. Copenhagen, Denmark: Danish Technical Press.
Ole Fanger, P., and J. Toftum. 2002. “Extension of the PMV model to non-air-conditioned buildings in warm climates.” Energy Build. 34 (6): 533–536. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7788(02)00003-8.
Peeters, L., R. de Dear, J. Hensen, and W. D’haeseleer. 2009. “Thermal comfort in residential buildings: Comfort values and scales for building energy simulation.” Appl. Energy 86 (5): 772–780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2008.07.011.
Praseeda, K. I., M. Mani, and B. V. V. Reddy. 2014. “Assessing impact of material transition and thermal comfort models on embodied and operational energy in vernacular dwellings (India).” Energy Procedia 54: 342–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.07.277.
Rajasekar, E., U. Anupama, and R. Venkateswaran. 2014a. “Thermal comfort beyond building design—An investigation in naturally ventilated residential apartments in a hot-dry climate.” Adv. Build. Energy Res. 8 (2): 196–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512549.2013.865553.
Rajasekar, E., and A. Ramachandraiah. 2011. “A study on thermal parameters in residential buildings associated with hot humid environments.” Archit. Sci. Rev. 54 (1): 23–38. https://doi.org/10.3763/asre.2009.0082.
Rajasekar, E., R. Soumya, and R. Venkateswaran. 2014b. “Challenges in designing for comfort—Comfort and energy use characterization in residential apartments.” In 8th Int. BUILDAIR Symp. on Building and Ductwork Airtightness. Hannover, Germany: Air infiltration and Ventilation Centre.
Romero, R. A., G. Bojórquez, M. Corral, and R. Gallegos. 2013. “Energy and the occupant’s thermal perception of low-income dwellings in hot-dry climate: Mexicali, México.” Renewable Energy 49: 267–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2012.01.017.
Schweiker, M. 2016. “Comf: An r package for thermal comfort studies.” R J. 8 (2): 341–351. https://doi.org/10.32614/RJ-2016-050.
Schweiker, M., and A. Wagner. 2015. “A framework for an adaptive thermal heat balance model (ATHB).” Build. Environ. 94: 252–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.08.018.
Sedki, A. 2013. “Effect of orientation on indoor thermal neutrality in winter season in hot arid climates case study: Residential building in greater Cairo.” Int. J. Eng. Technol. 5 (6): 712–716. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJET.2013.V5.648.
Shabunko, V., C. M. Lim, and S. Mathew. 2018. “Energyplus models for the benchmarking of residential buildings in Brunei Darussalam.” Energy Build. 169: 507–516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.03.039.
Sharma, M. R., and S. Ali. 1986. “Tropical summer index—a study of thermal comfort of Indian subjects.” Build. Environ. 21 (1): 11–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-1323(86)90004-1.
Sokolova, M., and G. Lapalme. 2009. “A systematic analysis of performance measures for classification tasks.” Inf. Process. Manage. 45 (4): 427–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ipm.2009.03.002.
Sperati, S., S. Alessandrini, P. Pinson, and G. Kariniotakis. 2015. “The “weather intelligence for renewable energies” benchmarking exercise on short-term forecasting of wind and solar power generation.” Energies 8 (9): 9594–9619. https://doi.org/10.3390/en8099594.
Srivajana, W. 2003. “Effects of air velocitv on thermal comfort in hot and humid climate.” Thammasat Int. J. Sci. Technol. 8 (2): 45–54.
Su, X., X. Zhang, and J. Gao. 2009. “Evaluation method of natural ventilation system based on thermal comfort in China.” Energy Build. 41 (1): 67–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2008.07.010.
Tahbaz, M. 2011. “Psychrometric chart as a basis for outdoor thermal analysis.” Int. J. Archit. Eng. Urban Plann. 21 (2): 95–109.
Tanabe, S., and K. Kimura. 1989. “Importance of air movement for thermal comfort under hot and humid conditions.” In Proc., 2nd ASHRAE Far East Conf. on Air Conditioning in Hot Climates, 95–103. Atlanta, GA: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
Udaykumar, A., E. Rajasekar, and R. Venkateswaran. 2015. “Thermal comfort characteristics in naturally ventilated, residential apartments in a hot-dry climate of India.” Indoor Built Environ. 24 (1): 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X13504120.
Wong, N., H. Feriadi, P. Lim, K. Tham, C. Sekhar, and K. Cheong. 2002. “Thermal comfort evaluation of naturally ventilated public housing in Singapore.” Build. Environ. 37 (12): 1267–1277. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-1323(01)00103-2.
Xu, C., S. Li, X. Zhang, and S. Shao. 2018. “Thermal comfort and thermal adaptive behaviours in traditional dwellings: A case study in Nanjing, China.” Build. Environ. 142: 153–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.06.006.
Yao, R., B. Li, and J. Liu. 2009. “A theoretical adaptive model of thermal comfort—Adaptive predicted mean vote (aPMV).” Build. Environ. 44 (10): 2089–2096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2009.02.014.
Yu, W., B. Li, R. Yao, D. Wang, and K. Li. 2017. “A study of thermal comfort in residential buildings on the Tibetan Plateau, China.” Build. Environ. 119: 71–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.04.009.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 4 • December 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 22, 2021
Accepted: Aug 2, 2021
Published online: Oct 4, 2021
Published in print: Dec 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Mar 4, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Carmen Y. M. Tan, Rahimi A. Rahman, WELL Building: Key Design Features for Office Environments, Journal of Architectural Engineering, 10.1061/JAEIED.AEENG-1544, 29, 2, (2023).
- Yousef Al Horr, Mohammed Arif, Amit Kant Kaushik, Hord Arsalan, Ahmed Mazroei, Muhammad Qasim Rana, Thermal Comfort in Buildings: Scientometric Analysis and Systematic Review, Journal of Architectural Engineering, 10.1061/JAEIED.AEENG-1490, 29, 2, (2023).
- Silvia Perez-Bezos, Olatz Grijalba, Rufino Javier Hernandez-Minguillon, Multifactorial approach to indoor environmental quality perception of social housing residents in Northern Spain, Building Research & Information, 10.1080/09613218.2022.2130739, (1-19), (2022).