Field study and adaptive equation of thermal comfort in university classrooms in the Subtropics in Winter

Abstract

In order to study the indoor thermal comfort in the winter of subtropics region in which there is no heat supply system, field study of indoor thermal comfort was carried out in classrooms of a university in Xiamen. Data both from field measurements and questionnaire survey were collected and analyzed. Consequently, the neutral and preferred temperatures in the winter of Xiamen were obtained, which show slightly difference with previous studies across China. On the other hand, predicted mean vote (PMV), which was calculated by Thermal Comfort Program software, shows some deviations from the mean thermal sensation (MTS) summarized from questionnaires statistics. Finally, by using multivariate nonlinear regression model based on MATLAB, a new adaptive equation was developed, which could be used to predict the thermal response in classrooms in subtropics region. In addition, it was found that the predicted equation fits very well with the collected data, which reflects variation of thermal sensation in winter. Results from this study provide guidance for the measurement and prediction of thermal comfort in winter of the subtropics region. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014.