Thermal adaptation and thermal environment in university classrooms and offices in Harbin

To study the influences of indoor and outdoor climate on thermal adaptation, a field study was conducted in classrooms and offices in winter and spring. The thermal environment parameters in the classrooms and offices were tested during the survey, while the subjects were interviewed on their thermal responses. The results showed that human thermal sensations were related to both indoor and outdoor climates. The neutral temperatures were not the same under different indoor temperature conditions in winter. The indoor microclimates had influences on human adaptability; the thermal neutral temperature was close to the indoor mean air temperature in thermal comfort environments. However, people felt hot when the indoor temperature was high and beyond the comfort zone in winter. Because the winter is long and outdoor temperature is low in Harbin, people have adapted to the cold environment. The indoor temperature should be kept at the lower limit of the comfort range in winter to keep human comfort and save energy. The neutral temperatures were different in winter and spring which proved that the outdoor climate influenced human adaptation. The indoor temperature in winter is suggested lower than that in spring, which is a comfortable and energy efficient regulation strategy. According to the regulation strategy, about 9.6% energy for centralized heating system can be saved. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.