Recent research that looks at the method used to determine thermal comfort in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55 published in an article, “Energy Consumption in Buildings and Female Thermal Demand,” in Nature Climate Change, misinterpreted data, according to ASHRAE.
“The interpretation of the authors regarding the basis for Standard 55 is not correct,” Bjarne Olesen, Ph.D., a member of the ASHRAE Board of Directors, thermal comfort research and former chair of the Standard 55 committee, said. “The part of the standard they are referring to is the use of the PMV/PPD index. This method is taken from an ISO/EN standard 7730, which has existed since 1982. The basic research for establishing comfort criteria for the indoor environment was made with more than 1,000 subjects with an equal amount of women and men.
“In the main studies, where they did the same sedentary work and wore the same type of clothing, there were no differences between the preferred temperature for men and women. So the researchers’ finding of a lower metabolic rate for females will not influence the recommended temperatures in the existing standards. Also their study is not conclusive. They only studied 16 females at a sedentary activity.
“They should also have studied 16 men at the same activity to be able to compare. The reason why we, in some field studies, find that women prefer higher room temperature than men is attributed to the level of clothing. Women better adapt their clothing to summer conditions while men are still wearing suits and ties. So if the thermostat is set to satisfy the men, the women will complain about being too cold. In the standard, this adaption of clothing to summer is taken into account. So if the standard is followed, the women would be satisfied; but maybe not the men.”
Related Stories
| Dec 23, 2014
EPA releases WaterSense draft specification for flushometer-valve toilets
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program has released a draft specification for water-efficient flushometer-valve toilets.
| Dec 23, 2014
American Iron and Steel Institute publishes design guide for new profiled steel diaphragm panels standard
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) published AISI D310-14, “Design Examples for the Design of Profiled Steel Diaphragm Panels Based on AISI S310-13.”
| Dec 18, 2014
New federal regulations impact construction firms doing business with Uncle Sam
Federal contractors may be subject to several new rules in 2015 that impact how they are selected for contracts and how they do business with the federal government.
| Dec 18, 2014
ASHRAE/IES energy standard could become more applicable for global use
A proposed addendum to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings would make the standard more applicable for use around the world.
| Dec 18, 2014
Boston testing mobile building permit tracking app
The app called Permit Finder could free city employees from having to respond to the 30 to 40 permit status-related calls they receive each week.
| Dec 18, 2014
Deal on 2015 budget slashes most federal construction spending
The $1.1 trillion funding bill for fiscal year 2015 approved by Congress makes deep cuts in some construction programs, but the General Services Administration suffered just a short haircut by comparison.
| Dec 11, 2014
Mayor backs reform of Pittsburgh inspection, permitting practices
The proposal, among other things, would impose a rental registration program and fee targeted at keeping better track of problem landlords.
| Dec 11, 2014
Los Angeles mayor proposes earthquake retrofit program
The ambitious program would focus on some apartment buildings built before 1978 and concrete buildings constructed before 1976.
| Dec 11, 2014
Outdated building code hampering recruitment of high-tech businesses in New York State
New York State’s building code is outdated and is hampering the recruitment of high-tech employers, according to a coalition of construction, fire safety, and insurance industry groups.
| Dec 11, 2014
Defense Authorization Act rejects BRAC for 2017
The House of Representatives has passed the $584.2 billion Defense Authorization Act.