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Rising global temperatures have increased the need for research into human adaptability and comfort in buildings. To reduce comfort-related energy demands, low-energy-consumption alternatives for space cooling, such as personal environmental control systems (PECS), are being investigated. The implementation of PECS in office buildings is still underway, and little is known about how occupants' expectations can influence their satisfaction with PECS and indoor environmental quality. This study examines the influence of tailored information and occupants' comfort expectations on their thermal perceptions and satisfaction with a personal ceiling fan. Seventy-six participants completed an online questionnaire and attended a half-day session at 30 °C in a climate chamber in Germany. A manipulation technique to activate personal norms was used to test the influence of information on expectations. Results indicated higher reported thermal comfort in participants with more positive thermal expectations, regardless of their expectations of the building systems. These effects were largely moderated by personal norms, indicating the importance of activating normative motivations to increase thermal comfort. Occupants with negative expectations improved their perceptions of the fan when making personal adjustments to stay comfortable. However, this effect was not moderated by personal norms. Practical implications focus on manipulating occupants' comfort expectations, e.g., by providing occupants with normative messages and individual control, to achieve greater comfort and acceptance of personal building controls in naturally ventilated buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An expected increase in the use of air conditioning by 2050 will significantly increase electricity demand and come at a cost to the environment. Implementing passive cooling strategies and focusing on personal environmental control systems (PECSs) could help to address this issue. While numerous studies have investigated the positive impact of PECSs on thermal comfort and energy savings, their overall economic benefit has been poorly addressed. We present an economic evaluation of personal fans for an office building in Germany. Building performance simulation was used to compare passive and active cooling concepts, and sensitivity analysis was performed for different climate scenarios. A cost-benefit analysis was carried out, including an assessment of investment and operating costs and the monetary value of relative performance. The transferability of comfort and productivity into costs is the novelty of this paper. The results showed that by supplementing night ventilation with personal fans, discomfort hours could be reduced by up to 50%. However, the initial investment of the fan is not compensated by savings in productivity losses compared to night ventilation alone. A reduction in the cost of the technology could help to economically offset the investment. The results contribute to the literature on the economic evaluation of a PECS by proposing a framework to motivate its implementation in buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing comfort and predicting occupant behavior in the workplace has been a major topic within built environmental research. Despite the vast knowledge, several studies have reported a performance gap between the predicted and the actual behaviors in buildings, together with a discrepancy between predicted and reported comfort levels of occupants within the working environment. To close these gaps, the inclusion of human behavioral and perceptual theories has been investigated to understand the drivers leading to adaptive behaviors and occupants' comfort preferences. As a result, expectations are hypothesized playing a relevant role in the perception of comfort. However, little is known about the formation of expectations towards the indoor climate and the impact on adaptive behaviors. Therefore, drawing on psychological and comfort theories, we built a research framework to study occupants' expectations in buildings and their influence on comfort-related responses and behaviors. A structural equation model was empirically tested using survey data collected from office workers in Germany. Results showed that occupant's expectations positively influenced comfort and adaptive behaviors. Cognitive mechanisms, such as attitudes, perceived control, self-efficacy, personal norms and thermal history, were needed to capture expectations of the indoor environment. The relationship between the expected interaction with a fan to modify the indoor environment and the current occupant behavior was mediated by occupants' previous experiences with fans. This paper contributes to the assessment of comfort and occupant behavior literature by developing a theoretical framework of behavioral and thermal expectations in the built environment. Findings may have implications on the design of adaptive opportunities to enhance occupant satisfaction with the workplace and to support design strategies to reduce the building energy consumption. • A framework of expectations was proposed to understand comfort and behaviors in the workplace. • The model integrates psychological and comfort theories, such as TPB, NAM and the Self-efficacy theory. • Survey data in Germany was tested through structural equation modeling. • Expectations of the indoor environment influence occupant's perception of comfort and adaptive behaviors. • Expectations and behaviors were mediated by occupants' previous experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]