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The thermal physiological and psychological responses in vehicles, influenced by gender and age, play a crucial role in ensuring passengers' comfort. However, these differences have often been overlooked. This study aims to comprehensively examine passengers' thermal comfort and investigate gender and age disparities based on their physiological and psychological responses. Experiments were conducted inside a vehicle placed in a climate chamber under cooling and heating conditions, with the collected data subjected to statistical analysis. The findings reveal that males had significantly higher mean skin temperatures in cooling conditions and lower skin temperatures in heating conditions than females. However, overall thermal sensation and comfort did not significantly differ between genders. Interestingly, age-related differences were observed to a limited extent in both conditions. This study provides valuable insights into passengers' thermal responses in vehicles, considering the factors of gender and age, thereby contributing to a comprehensive understanding of thermal comfort in a vehicle environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comfort standards (ASHRAE 55, ISO 7730) specify exact physical criteria for producing acceptable thermal environments, which include temperature, air movement, and humidity limits that are often difficult to comply with, particularly in the subtropical climate of Japan. Changing expectations of comfort are important in evaluating comfort since schools in Japan are not typically air-conditioned. With the rapid growth of school buildings in the US and all over the world, provisions for comfort are critical to student performance and occupant well-being. Are these temperate-climate, air-conditioning based standards applicable in these locations? This paper builds upon previous thermal comfort work that has focused primarily on office environments. For this project we adapt traditional methods of data collection and inquiry for use in the school environment. During the late summer 2000, we conducted surveys in naturally ventilated and air-conditioned schools, polling responses from 74 students, while simultaneously measuring indoor climate variables. Air-conditioned classrooms had conditions within the comfort zone, causing occupants to report 'slightly cool' thermal sensations. The naturally ventilated classrooms were 3[degrees]C warmer than the air-conditioned classrooms and occupants voted that conditions were also within the central three categories (surrounding neutral) of the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale--therefore equated with comfort. These 'neutral' sensations, however, do not correlate to people's preferred thermal state. Comfort responses are discussed in terms of comparisons to ASHRAE Standard 55-92 Thermal Conditions for Human Occupancy.

Over an extended period, the art museum prioritized regulating its thermal environment solely for the preservation of artworks, without considering the visitors' aesthetic experience. However, it is no longer an exception, given the ongoing development of HVAC systems. This research aims to investigate how museums' thermal environment and the resulting thermal comfort impact visitors' aesthetic experience. The experiment was performed to examine the subjects' aesthetic experience under three temperature conditions: 18 °C, 26 °C, and 32 °C. Subjects experienced VR museum exhibition, and their physiological responses, heart rates and variability were measured. Psychological responses were gathered through thermal comfort votes, and Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire (AEQ). As a result, the thermal comfort votes were highest in the order of 26 °C, 18 °C, and 32 °C. Aesthetic experience responses, measured by AEQ, were highest at 26 °C and lowest at 32 °C. This suggests that subjects enhanced aesthetic experiences in a thermally comfortable environment, while high temperature hindered them. Beyond temperature, factors like thermal sensation and comfort were considered influential in aesthetic experiences. Thermal sensation was found to impact aesthetic experiences in a quadratic manner, and thermal comfort had a positive effect on them. Lastly, physiological responses previously associated with aesthetic experiences showed no significant impact in this study. Only thermal sensation demonstrated a significant influence, attributed to thermoregulation responding to thermal environment changes. In other words, when the thermal environment changes, the physiological response can't reliably indicate aesthetic experiences due to the thermoregulation. This study is significant in proposing unexplored aspects of thermal environments in enhancing aesthetic experiences. • A thermally comfortable environment can support aesthetic experiences while high temperature could hinder them. • A slightly cool environment benefits cognitive aesthetic experience. • Thermal comfort had a significant positive effect on aesthetic experiences. • Heart rate and heart rate variability can't indicate aesthetic experiences with the change of thermal environment, due to the thermoregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this study, subjects' attention abilities in seven predicted mean vote (PMV) conditions (−3 to +3) were measured using electroencephalograms (EEGs). A total of 49 EEG recordings were performed (in seven PMV conditions for seven subjects), each lasting for 65 min. EEGs were recorded through the scalp and sorted by frequency using power spectral analysis. The best PMV condition for attention ability changed over time, from slightly cooler temperatures to higher temperatures. However, extreme PMV conditions led to poor attention ability during the experiment. The highest attention level was at PMV +1, according to our EEG analysis, but was reported as both PMV 0 and + 1 by the subjects. The lowest attention level was in higher temperature conditions (PMV +2, +3), according to subjects' own evaluations, while the lowest brain activity was measured in lower temperature conditions (PMV -2, −3). Highlights • Attention ability was measured by EEG as a metric of productivity, instead of measuring productivity itself. • The best temperature for attention changed over time and the perceived attention did not match the physiological response as assessed by EEG. • The results provide a new method to measure productivity and a basis to develop new indoor environment controls for optimal productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal pleasure is currently measured along psychological and physiological variables. However, in transient environments where temperatures change, it is hard to correlate psychological and physiological measures, because there is a delay in physiological changes. This study tests a method for correlating both measures using electroencephalogram (EEG), which can capture physiological feedback with a rapid response rate. In this experimental study, thermal pleasure was induced in a temperature step‐change environment, one of non‐uniform and transient environments. During the experiment, EEG was monitored and psychological responses of thermal sensation and thermal comfort votes were collected via survey questionnaire. A total of 50 males in their twenties participated in a climate chamber experiment. An experimental group of 25 men were exposed to temperature step‐change between two different room conditions (32°C, 65% and 25°C, 50%), experiencing thermal pleasure. The control group of the remaining 25 men were exposed to an unchanging condition, experiencing thermal comfort close to thermal neutrality. The EEG spectral analysis demonstrated that EEG frequency band associated with pleasant emotional (theta) increased while frequency band related to pleasantness, satisfaction or relaxation (beta) decreased with thermal pleasure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognizing the value of open-source research databases in advancing the art and science of HVAC, in 2014 the ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II project was launched under the leadership of University of California at Berkeley's Center for the Built Environment and The University of Sydney's Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Laboratory. The exercise began with a systematic collection and harmonization of raw data from the last two decades of thermal comfort field studies around the world. The ASHRAE Global Thermal Comfort Database II (Comfort Database), now an online, open-source database, includes approximately 81,846 complete sets of objective indoor climatic observations with accompanying “ right-here-right-now ” subjective evaluations by the building occupants who were exposed to them. The database is intended to support diverse inquiries about thermal comfort in field settings. A simple web-based interface to the database enables filtering on multiple criteria, including building typology, occupancy type, subjects' demographic variables, subjective thermal comfort states, indoor thermal environmental criteria, calculated comfort indices, environmental control criteria and outdoor meteorological information. Furthermore, a web-based interactive thermal comfort visualization tool has been developed that allows end-users to quickly and interactively explore the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beyond previous research topics assessing physiological or psychological effects of an indoor environment, the present study aims to investigate the effect of thermal sensations on people's emotional responses. For achieving this purpose, chamber experiments were conducted based on three different temperatures (PMV −2, 0, +2), and results were obtained from 139 participants' brain wave data. The emotional process depending on indoor temperature was not significant; however, that depending on subjective thermal sensations were statistically significant. Since participants felt same indoor thermal condition differently, the physical indoor temperature itself had no direct significant influence to their emotions. Positivity bias was observed when participants felt neutral and slightly warm, and negativity bias was observed in all other cases. This study supports the notion that the thermal environment affects occupants' emotional responses through subjective thermal sensations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the indoor environment of subway stations and passengers’ comfort in three seasons. Six subway stations in Seoul were selected for physical environment measurements and a survey of 5282 passengers; these two components were conducted together. The questionnaire addressed thermal, air, light, acoustic and overall comfort. Seoul subway stations had large differences in air temperature in some seasons, and the air temperature in winter was very low. The concentration of particulate matter (PM) and carbon dioxide satisfied the indoor air quality maintenance criteria. Most survey respondents felt ‘neutral’ about or ‘comfortable’ with the environment in the subway stations, even in very low temperatures. From the results of the correlation analysis between the SET* and the percentage of uncomfortable passengers, the comfort range was 16.1–31.2 SET*°C for the concourses and 15.9–31.5 SET*°C for the platforms, which was a wider range than previous studies from other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of indoor environment on stress levels. Temperature, odor irritants, and sound were selected as environmental elements to be studied within the combined environment, and these were individually controlled in a total of 12 combined environments with established climate chambers. The occupants' stress was measured using paper-based tests, and the two combined environments that showed the most different stress aspects were determined based on their results. A second test was then performed using an electroencephalogram (EEG), and in this test, occupants' stress in the two combined environments were compared using an EEG analysis to generate a brain map showing occupants' stress states from a physiological perspective. Experimental results indicate that occupants' stress was maximized when they were exposed to a temperature of 30 °C, odor irritants (VOCs) and to road traffic noises. In this stressful environment, it is presumed that the differences in brain mapping of the relative high-beta wave in the temporal lobe can be useful when assessing participants' stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A cross-sectional study on the home environment and asthma and allergy in children was carried out among children 1–8 years old in Seoul, South Korea from 2009 to 2010. Questionnaires were distributed to 5107 parents through daycare centers and kindergartens; 2755 parents responded, a response rate of 54%. Seven percent and 23% of children were reported to have doctor-diagnosed asthma and hay fever, respectively. A majority (57%) of the families reported having PVC flooring in child's or parents' bedroom. More than 96% of homes used a floor heating system. PVC was used more often as a floor covering in single family houses than in apartments (67% vs. 49%, p < 0.001). PVC flooring was significantly associated with eczema in the previous 6 months (AOR 1.54, 95% CI 1.13–2.09) when adjusted for gender, age, family allergy, socioeconomic status and environmental tobacco smoke. Older buildings tended to have dampness problems, and, consequently, were positively correlated with the prevalence of wheeze. Floor moisture significantly increased the association between PVC and symptoms of wheezing (AOR 2.57, 95% CI 1.36–4.82) and eczema (AOR 1.97, 95% CI 1.18–3.28). Apartments without mechanical ventilation in bedrooms were associated with a slight increase in asthma and allergy among children. This study suggests that building characteristics and home exposure can partly explain recent increases in asthma and allergy among children in Seoul. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study aims to investigate the environment and conditions that cause thermal discomfort to occupants in office buildings. We named this thermal discomfort awareness the thermal complaint. To collect thermal complaints, an instrument was developed allowing office workers to actively express their thermal discomfort at any time. This device simultaneously measured the environmental factors of the individual's workspace. Office workers offered thermal complaints in a wide range of thermal environments. The thermal range of "Hot" complaints and "Cold" complaints were not separated; however, a difference was observed when the average values were examined. In the summer, the mean temperature for "Hot" complaints was 28.1 °C, and the mean temperature for "Cold" complaints was 25.8 °C. In the winter, the mean temperature for "Hot" complaints was 25.0 °C, and the mean temperature for "Cold" complaints was 23.1 °C. To exclude the effect of time exposed at a certain temperature, the ratio of the complaint frequency to a temperature bin was recalculated to produce a time-weighted complaint (TwC). In summer, TwC values were lowest in the range of 25.0 °C–28.0 °C. In winter, the overall TwC frequency was lower than in summer, with the lowest between 18.0 °C and 28.0 °C. This meant that residents showed a wider acceptable temperature range in winter than in summer. In addition, no seasonal differences in TwC were found in the high temperature range above 27.0 °C. However, in the lower temperature range, the TwC values were seasonally different. From these results, it can be concluded that the acceptable range based on TwC is 25–28 °C in summer and 18–28 °C in winter. From the results of this study, if heating and cooling are carried out in the direction of securing acceptability based on discomfort elimination, it will be possible to save a lot of energy by reflecting the seasonal difference. • ComVote was designed allowing office workers to easily express thermal discomfort. • Cold and hot complaints coexisted in a very wide temperature range. • A narrower range of comfortable temperatures was recorded in the summer. • In winter, less complaints occurred at relatively low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this study is to determine preferences for the environmental factors of residential buildings by using two different methods: the conjoint analysis and ranking method. We tried to identify consumers'' monetary value regarding environmental performance by testing their Marginal Willing to Pay (MWTP). A survey was conducted in Seoul, Korea to clarify the preference and monetary value of four selected attributes representing environmental performance. These attributes are reduction of energy bills, reduction of CO2 emissions, reduction of volatile organic compound emissions, and application of information technology facilities. The result can be summarized as follows. The MWTP for 1% reduction of CO2 emission is estimated about $377 USD, being 2 times higher than that for reduction of VOC emissions and almost same as that for the reduction of energy bills. The energy bill is most preferred and IT facilities are least preferred in ranking method. Preferences vary according to respondents'' socio-demographic factors and the numerical information in conjoint analysis makes strongly reflect them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two surveys were carried out to investigate the correlation between building maintenance management services for indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and occupant satisfaction. Each maintenance management organization manager was surveyed using the Evaluation Index of Maintenance Management Service Quality, created by Akira Takakusagi. Seven office buildings in Seoul, Korea were investigated in the first survey, and two buildings from the first survey were selected for analysis in the second survey. One is a building with good maintenance management services but low occupant satisfaction, and the other is an office building with low maintenance management services but high occupant satisfaction. From the first survey, we found that maintenance management service level was highly correlated to the level of management services provided, up to 60%. However, up from 60%, the correlation was dropped. To explain these results, two selected cases were investigated in the second survey. Results are; 1) Occupants in both offices reported equal levels of IEQ satisfaction, although the actual level of IEQ was lower in office E than it was in office B. 2) A comparison of the adaptive behaviors in the two offices showed that they were not significantly different, despite the different adaptive opportunities (operable window, personal temperature controller) between them. 3) Office E showed higher satisfaction with help desk services than did Office B. When occupants actively used the help desk, there was a positive effect on their satisfaction with the indoor environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The relationship between high chemical compound exposure and human health has been an important worldwide issue. High exposure to chemical compounds can make harmful health effect. One of the mostly risky groups to this high exposure to chemical compounds is the construction worker. In this study, their exposure level and self-reported Multiple Chemical Sensitivity were investigated. In the first part of this study, self-reported symptom surveys and personal six Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) exposure measurements were conducted with three categories of construction employment, including exterior workers, interior workers, and office workers. The job category with the greatest exposure to VOCs was the interior workers, followed by office workers, and then exterior workers. However, based on the self-reported symptom surveys, office workers demonstrated a relatively high risk for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) among the three job categories. From these results, it was uncertain that whether this was characteristic of office workers in general, or only office workers in the construction business. To determine this, the same surveys and measurements were conducted with office workers outside the construction business. University students were also surveyed as a comparison group. The results determined that office workers outside the construction business meeting the operational criteria for MCS were similar to construction office workers. This similarity was not nearly so pronounced when the construction office workers were compared to the university students. High chemical exposure level to interior workers and high MCS symptom of office workers should be considered and improved for each job group''s health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Indoor thermal environments and residents'' control behavior of cooling and heating systems were investigated in Seoul, Korea and compared with the results of previous studies. Twenty-four houses in summer, six houses in autumn and 36 houses in winter were used in this study. The measurement of temperature, humidity and air conditioner usage behavior was carried out. The clo-value, thermal comfort, sensation and basic data of the houses were also investigated. The indoor thermal environment in the summer had a high temperature and a high humidity ratio compare to standard comfort zone. Most of the indoor thermal environments at the time of starting the air conditioner in the summer were out of the comfort zone. Some of the data recorded while the air conditioner was stopped were in the comfort zone, but in many cases the temperature was relatively higher than comfort zone. Most indoor climate distributions in the winter were in the comfort zone and the indoor climate in autumn coincided well with the criteria of the comfort zone. Compared with results of previous studies in these 25 years, indoor ambient average temperature in winter has increased and the comfort temperature has increased in the heating period and decreased in the cooling period. This result indicates that the development of an HVAC system has created an expectation of comfort for residents and has shifted their thermal comfort zone warmer in winter and cooler in summer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To explore the relationship between thermal history and indoor comfort, surveys and measurements were conducted in Seoul, Korea and Yokohama, Japan. Fifty-two subjects were recruited from university campuses in Seoul and Yokohama during the hot season in August 2002. To collect information regarding people''s daily thermal history, background questions (a thermal diary) were completed by subjects during the 24h prior to entering in a climate chamber. Subjects changed into uniform clothing ensembles and complete thermal diary questions just prior to entering the chamber which was pre-conditioned to 28°C and 50% relative humidity. Subjects entered the chamber and completed a set of thermal comfort questions at 10-min intervals for 1h. Thermal history, prior to the chamber experiment, influenced the thermal sensation in chamber. Though the physical conditions in the climate chamber were identical (28°C, 50% rh), Yokohama subjects responded with cooler thermal sensations than Seoul subjects. These subjects experienced hotter weather conditions (than the Seoul subjects) and voted that they felt cooler than the Seoul subjects who experienced cooler temperatures prior to entering the chamber. It was also found that subjects who use air-conditioning at home responded with warmer thermal sensations than the subjects who did not use air-conditioning. These results indicate that there is a strong interaction and influence of our experience with outdoor weather and our indoor thermal comfort. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper deals with thermal comfort in urban transitional spaces. This topic investigates thermal comfort during walking activities through transitional spaces-urban corridors, shopping streets, and open-ended passageways. The study involves a field study and a laboratory study with a sequenced walk through an environmental control chamber. Subjects in both studies wore the same clothing ensembles, walked the same speed, and evaluated their thermal comfort at 20 designated points in the field and in specific rooms in the control chamber. Air temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity were measured concurrently as the thermal comfort votes completed. Findings revealed that the previously experienced temperatures determined thermal comfort at the following point in the sequence. Because thermal comfort at a point can be influenced widely by relative placement of temperatures in sequence, thermal comfort in transitional spaces can be adapted very widely compared to comfort inside of buildings. Thermal comfort along the experimental courses was evaluated by averaging the temperature of a course. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Current thermal comfort research extensively documents various aspects of the human thermal response to stable environmental conditions. Reviews of recent research on outdoor comfort, however, reveals a lack of information on response to conditions in transitional spaces—those areas that are influenced by outdoor climate, yet are architecturally bounded by a building. In this work, we focused on transitional space as a space in between outdoor and indoor. Transitional spaces were organized into three categories depending on their proximity to interior spaces. Pilot measurements of physical variables were taken in six places. Transitional spaces’ physical environments varied by the space type and architectural characteristics. The typical behaviors observed were walking, standing, and sitting —different and varied compared to the sedentary behavior in offices or homes. The most efficient architectural shape of transitional spaces is related to the corresponding regional climatic condition. It was verified that PMV cannot be used for transitional space thermal comfort predictions because of its unstable and dynamic physical and MET value. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study used electroencephalograms (EEGs) to investigate thermal discomfort. The thermal discomfort defined in this study considers both thermal displeasure induced by step-changes and thermal discomfort induced by temperature ramping. A total of 108 people in their 20s and 30s participated in the experiments. The subjects experienced uncomfortable thermal environmental changes and changes in EEG were measured accordingly. The EEG data were divided into four frequency bands, namely; theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (13–30 Hz), and gamma (30–40 Hz) waves for analysis. By examining the thermal-displeasure EEGs, we observed that when thermal displeasure was induced by heat, the relative theta power decreased and the relative beta and gamma powers increase. Furthermore, the relative theta power decreased when thermal displeasure was induced by cold. By examining the thermal-discomfort EEGs, we observed that all the EEG power values increase when thermal discomfort results from either heat or cold. Based on these experimental results, the brainwaves can be utilized to increase the prediction accuracy of individual thermal comfort by the conventional comfort model that is based on physical quantities, such as, temperature, humidity, air velocity, metabolic rate, and clothing insulation. • EEG changes based on thermal displeasure and discomfort have different tendencies. • Beta and gamma powers increased and theta power decreased significantly by thermal displeasure. • EEG power was increased at all frequencies by thermal discomfort. • EEG changes are prominent with sudden temperature changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicles have come to be regarded as another important indoor environment where people spend a significant amount of time. Along with the accelerated development of self-driving vehicles, more attention has been focused on optimizing the thermal comfort of vehicle users. Compared with buildings, vehicles have a non-uniform indoor environment that dynamically changes under the influence of solar radiation and the season of the year. Considering the various environmental factors that significantly impact the indoor condition of a vehicle, it is very challenging to estimate the thermal comfort of a vehicle user, especially when the vehicle is outdoors. Many comfort models have been developed based on subject experiments conducted using vehicles placed in climatic chambers. However, because such laboratory experiments consider only very limited conditions, a dynamic scene that simulates the actual situation of vehicle users under real driving conditions cannot be implemented. To address this issue, the present study utilized long-term outdoor experiments. Based on the data acquired from the experiments, we derived equations for predicting the overall thermal sensation (OTS) of a female vehicle user under both transient and stable conditions. The field experiments were conducted over three seasons and considered a total of 80 female subjects of ages 20–30 years. All the experiments were performed using an experimental vehicle on the rooftop of a seven-story building, where the sunlight was not shielded. The environmental conditions (air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and air velocity) inside and outside the vehicle were measured. The psychological and physiological responses of the subjects during the experiments were also recorded. The physiological responses consisted of the skin temperature at 16 local body sites, while the psychological responses consisted of the local and overall thermal sensation and comfort. The data of 60 randomly selected subjects of the experiments were used to derive optimal multiple regression equations for predicting the OTS of a female vehicle user, while the data of the other 20 subjects were used to validate the proposed equations. The two derived equations of the OTS prediction model for both non-uniform and uniform state of a vehicle consist of simple and straightforward environmental indicators such as outdoor and indoor air temperature, the difference between the outdoor and indoor air temperature, and the solar radiation. A strong correlation between the actual OTS and predicted OTS from the equations were found, showing the feasibility of the developed OTS prediction model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of research on the relationship between electroencephalography (EEG) and human comfort evaluation. However, most of these studies have addressed this relationship in a laboratory environment. In this study, we investigated the correlation between comfort level and brainwaves in a real-world environment. Field experiments were performed at two subway stations, a comfortable station and an uncomfortable station, to measure and compare the EEGs of 30 healthy students. The EEG signal patterns showed that the beta and gamma band powers were higher at the uncomfortable station than at the comfortable station. However, unlike previous studies where significant gamma bands activity was not observed, significantly high gamma band activity was observed in uncomfortable field environments in this study. In addition, in contrast to the results of previous studies, the alpha band activity did not increase in the comfortable field environment in this study. The present study shows that brainwave measurements can be used as an additional method to observe the responses of a participant in field environments that do not appear in laboratory experiments. • Beta and Gamma band power were increased significantly in an uncomfortable station. • Alpha band power was not increased in a comfortable station due to increased stimuli. • Real world sites contain more stimuli than laboratories. • EEG can be useful in detection of occupant responses to discomfort rather than comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the factors influencing heat energy consumption in Korean apartments, examining the interplay between cognitive and behavioral factors, energy practices, perceived thermal environment, and demographics on residents' heat energy consumption. A survey was administered to apartment residents, yielding 210 valid responses. Smart meters were employed to gather data on space heating and hot water energy usage. Residents were classified into four groups based on cognitive and behavioral factors: Energy Saving Residents, Behavior Control Residents, Non-Motivated Residents, and Energy Wasting Residents. The group with the highest energy usage exhibited a 45.4% higher space heating consumption and a 28.2% higher water heating consumption compared to the group with the lowest consumption levels. Data analysis revealed that behavioral factors, such as habits related to adjusting indoor environments and adaptive behaviors towards thermal conditions, exerted a more immediate influence on energy consumption than cognitive factors. The findings suggest that conventional incentive-based policies may face challenges in fostering behavioral changes among residents if they overlook the specific nuances of individual or household energy consumption behaviors. Therefore, policies aimed at accurately predicting and evaluating energy consumption in the residential sector should consider residents' characteristics, energy consumption behaviors, and attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify the factors that influence heating energy consumption in residential apartments using smart meter data and surveys. It emphasized the significance of residents' behavior as a key variable. The analysis considered physical and behavioral factors, including external factors, building characteristics, resident demographics, and residents' heating energy consumption behavior. Based on these factors, a model for heating energy consumption was developed. Moreover, the study found that residents' heating energy consumption behavior had a strong explanatory power in both space heating and hot water energy consumption models. Therefore, to achieve accurate prediction and evaluation of energy consumption in the residential sector, future research should thoroughly consider resident characteristics and energy use behavior, taking into account different types of final energy. Furthermore, it is crucial to comprehensively consider residents' characteristics when developing energy-saving policies for buildings, as this will lead to meaningful outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Review of longitudinal comfort surveys (N = 5576) from 258 participants and 6 countries. • Clustering of individual thermal sensation votes to identify four thermal sensation traits. • Introduction of the person-centric thermal zone (Zt) to inform adaptive building strategies. Thermal comfort research has been traditionally based on cross-sectional studies and spatial aggregation of individual surveys at building level. This research design is susceptible to compositional effects and may lead to error in identifying predictors to thermal comfort indices, in particular in relation to adaptive mechanisms. A relationship between comfort and different predictors can be true at an individual level but not evident at the building level. In addition, cross-sectional studies overlook temporal changes in individual thermal perception due to contextual factors. To address these limitations, this study applied a longitudinal research design over 8 to 21 months in eight buildings located in six countries around the world. The dataset comprises of 5,567 individual thermal comfort surveys from 258 participants. The analysis aggregated survey responses at participant level and clustered participants according to their thermal sensation votes (TSV). Four TSV clusters were introduced, representing four different thermal sensation traits. Further analysis reviewed the probability of cluster membership in relation to demographic characteristics and behavioural adaptation. Finally, the analysis at individual level enabled the introduction of a new metric, the thermal zone (Zt), which in this study ranges from 21.5 °C to 26.6 °C. The thermal sensation traits and person-centric thermal zone (Zt) are a first step into the development of new metrics incorporating individual perceived comfort into dynamic building controls for adaptive buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A questionnaire study was conducted in 26 countries, using 21 different languages. • This international collaboration led to a dataset of 8225 questionnaires. • Only a subset of the responses are in accordance with the assumption of equidistance. • Relationship between sensation and comfort perception varies with context. • Cluster analysis revealed significant differences between groups of participants. • Interpretation of scales varies with climate, season and language. People's subjective response to any thermal environment is commonly investigated by using rating scales describing the degree of thermal sensation, comfort, and acceptability. Subsequent analyses of results collected in this way rely on the assumption that specific distances between verbal anchors placed on the scale exist and that relationships between verbal anchors from different dimensions that are assessed (e.g. thermal sensation and comfort) do not change. Another inherent assumption is that such scales are independent of the context in which they are used (climate zone, season, etc.). Despite their use worldwide, there is indication that contextual differences influence the way the scales are perceived and therefore question the reliability of the scales' interpretation. To address this issue, a large international collaborative questionnaire study was conducted in 26 countries, using 21 different languages, which led to a dataset of 8225 questionnaires. Results, analysed by means of robust statistical techniques, revealed that only a subset of the responses are in accordance with the mentioned assumptions. Significant differences appeared between groups of participants in their perception of the scales, both in relation to distances of the anchors and relationships between scales. It was also found that respondents' interpretations of scales changed with contextual factors, such as climate, season, and language. These findings highlight the need to carefully consider context-dependent factors in interpreting and reporting results from thermal comfort studies or post-occupancy evaluations, as well as to revisit the use of rating scales and the analysis methods used in thermal comfort studies to improve their reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]