Evaluating Thermal Comfort in a Naturally Conditioned Office in a Temperate Climate Zone
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Instituto Nacional de Eficiencia Energética y Energías Renovables, Quito 170507, Ecuador
2
Universidad Católica del Norte, Angamos 0610, Antofagasta, Chile
3
Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM, Km 7 Vía Muyuna, Tena, Ecuador
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Adrian Pitts
Buildings 2016, 6(3), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings6030027
Received: 25 April 2016
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Revised: 7 July 2016
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Accepted: 14 July 2016
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Published: 20 July 2016
This study aims to determine the optimal approach for evaluating thermal comfort in an office that uses natural ventilation as the main conditioning strategy; the office is located in Quito-Ecuador. The performance of the adaptive model included in CEN Standard EN15251 and the traditional PMV model are compared with reports of thermal environment satisfaction surveys presented simultaneously to all occupants of the office to determine which of the two comfort models is most suitable to evaluate the thermal environment. The results indicate that office occupants have developed some degree of adaptation to the climatic conditions of the city where the office is located (which only demands heating operation), and tend to accept and even prefer lower operative temperatures than those considered optimum by applying the PMV model. This is an indication that occupants of naturally conditioned buildings are usually able to match their comfort temperature to their normal environment. Therefore, the application of the adaptive model included in CEN Standard EN15251 seems like the optimal approach for evaluating thermal comfort in naturally conditioned buildings, because it takes into consideration the adaptive principle that indicates that if a change occurs such as to produce discomfort, people tend to react in ways which restore their comfort.
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Keywords:
thermal comfort; adaptive comfort model; PMV model; naturally conditioned buildings; comfort temperature
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MDPI and ACS Style
Gallardo, A.; Palme, M.; Lobato-Cordero, A.; Beltrán, R.D.; Gaona, G. Evaluating Thermal Comfort in a Naturally Conditioned Office in a Temperate Climate Zone. Buildings 2016, 6, 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings6030027
AMA Style
Gallardo A, Palme M, Lobato-Cordero A, Beltrán RD, Gaona G. Evaluating Thermal Comfort in a Naturally Conditioned Office in a Temperate Climate Zone. Buildings. 2016; 6(3):27. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings6030027
Chicago/Turabian StyleGallardo, Andrés, Massimo Palme, Andrea Lobato-Cordero, R. D. Beltrán, and Gabriel Gaona. 2016. "Evaluating Thermal Comfort in a Naturally Conditioned Office in a Temperate Climate Zone" Buildings 6, no. 3: 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings6030027
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