Analysis of thermal comfort in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper reports a thermal comfort survey conducted in three locations in Lagos between July 1996 and June 1997 in which 50 fully acclimatized subjects cast over 6,000 individual votes of their subjective assessments of the thermal environments. The survey covered only residential buildings constructed of sandcrete materials. A set of multiple linear regression equations relating comfort votes with the variations of air temperature and relative humidity has been developed. Other regression equations that describe how external climate is altered indoor by the building fabrics have also been derived. Maximum and minimum values of temperature and relative humidity were also obtained for the purpose of air conditioning load estimation. Frequency distribution of air temperatures and comfort votes show a comfortable temperature range of 260C to 280C, comfortably cool between 240C and 260C, and comfortably warm between 280C and 300C. Keywords: acclimatized subjects, thermal comfort, comfort vote, optimum dry bulb temperature, climatic index. [Global Jnl Environ Sci Vol.2(1) 2003: 59-65]