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
| Jan 8, 2013
Group releases safety and building codes from 24 countries
Public.Resource.Org released 10,062 public safety documents including building codes covering 24 countries and 6 regions.
| Jan 8, 2013
Montana developing high-performance building standards for state projects
The Montana Department of Administration is developing a single building standard for all state facilities, and hopes to have a plan in place this spring.
| Jan 4, 2013
AGC economist says "fiscal cliff" deal will give construction a boost
The deal in Congress to avoid going over the so-called fiscal cliff "should encourage many businesses to go ahead with projects they have held in reserve," said Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America.
| Jan 4, 2013
California standards on furnishings, insulation to be revised
California is revising the state’s standards on interior furniture and insulation to maintain or improve fire safety while reducing or eliminating the use of toxic chemicals.
| Jan 4, 2013
Tilt-Up Concrete Association releases new temporary wind bracing guidelines
The Tilt-Up Concrete Association has released revised guidelines on Temporary Wind Bracing of Tilt-Up Concrete Panels During Construction.
| Jan 4, 2013
San Diego office tower to be America's biggest net-zero building
The 13-floor, 415,000 sf La Jolla Commons II office tower in San Diego will be the largest building in the U.S. built to the net-zero standard upon completion in 2014, according to real estate firm Hines.
| Jan 4, 2013
Manchester, England building achieves highest BREEAM rating in U.K.
One Angel Square in Manchester, England, is the highest scoring outstanding building for the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) in the U.K.
| Dec 27, 2012
Pentagon eases leasing standards established in 9/11 aftermath
The Pentagon has eliminated the stringent real estate leasing standards it put into place following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, reverting back to a version widely used by federal civilian agencies.
| Dec 27, 2012
Google provides USGBC with $3 million grant to transform building materials industry and indoor health
Google has contributed a $3 million grant to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to help transform the building materials industry and accelerate the creation of healthier indoor environments.
| Dec 27, 2012
Former industrial French city reshapes itself according to ambitious green standards
Nantes has a strong commitment to address challenges such as urban sprawl and carbon dioxide emissions.