Abstract
A summer field study was conducted in two university dormitories in the Tokai region of Central Japan. The study aimed at understanding the correlation between subjective thermal responses as well as whether nationality was affecting the responses. It was observed that nationality significantly affected thermal sensitivity and preference. The occupants’ acceptance for thermal stress was invariably above 90%. Despite the high levels of humidity observed, the multiple regression model showed that only the indoor air temperature was significant for explaining the variability of thermal sensation for both Japanese and non-Japanese students. The highest probability of voting neutral for university students in dormitory buildings in the Tokai region of Japan was estimated within 24~26.5 °C (by probit analysis). Japanese students were more sensitive to their indoor environment as opposed to the international students. The adjusted linear regression coefficient yielded from the room-wise day-wise averages were 0.48/K and 0.35/K for Japanese sensitivity and international sensitivity, respectively. In our study, the Griffiths’ model of estimating comfort temperature (or thermal neutrality) showed weak predictability and notable differences from the actually voted comfort. The neutral and comfort temperature observed and estimated in the study remained invariably below the recommended temperature threshold for Japan in summer leading to believe that that threshold is worth reevaluating.