Development of the adaptive model for thermal comfort in office buildings of Aichi prefecture, Japan

Abstract

This study was undertaken to investigate seasonal adaptation to temperature in Japanese offices, with a view to suggesting an adaptive model for them. We measured temperatures in seven office buildings and conducted thermal comfort transverse surveys of occupants for over a year in the Aichi prefecture of Japan. We collected 1,228 samples. The occupants were found to be highly satisfied with the thermal environment in their offices. Even though the Japanese government recommends the indoor temperature of 28 °C for cooling and 20 °C for heating, we found that the comfort temperature was 2.8 °C lower in cooling mode and 4.3 °C higher in heating mode, in line with the actual indoor temperatures. The monthly variation in the temperature in the investigated offices was significantly lower than had been found in dwellings. An adaptive relationship can be derived to estimate the indoor comfort temperature from the prevailing outdoor temperature for similar office buildings.