Extract

In Australia, the primary mandatory building performance assessment method for new homes indirectly references the ASHRAE 55 Standard adaptive thermal comfort model, which has not been extensively tested or validated for houses in this country. Emerging evidence suggests that while an adaptive model of thermal comfort is likely to be most appropriate for specification and assessment of residential buildings, this particular model does not adequately reflect Australian households’ comfort preferences. Responding to the need for a uniquely Australian residential comfort model, a substantial database of observations from thermal comfort field studies in houses has been compiled. The database currently comprises of over 49,000 thermal comfort “votes”, contributed by occupants of around 300 houses and apartments. The paper presents a series of investigations of methodological issues, fundamental in the development of a new adaptive model.

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