Temperature and adaptive comfort in heated, cooled and free-running dwellings

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Abstract
It might be assumed that buildings with active mechanical heating/cooling systems will have a narrower indoor temperature range than those without: that the indoor temperature will be adjusted by the system to reflect the needs of occupants, which are approximately the same for all. This assumption is critically examined through the records of indoor temperatures and comfort in domestic buildings in Japan, England and Saudi Arabia, with less complete data from Russia, China, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal and New Zealand. Evidence is presented here from a number of surveys in domestic buildings. This suggests that in mechanically controlled buildings there can be a wide range of indoor conditions. These results with buildings are then compared with free-running buildings. It is found that the temperature range in these is often smaller. This discrepancy from normal assumptions is explained using the adaptive approach, considering mechanical systems as a powerful adaptive opportunity used by dwelling inhabitants to suit the indoor conditions to their own diverse climates, buildings and lifestyles. The results suggest that existing guidelines for indoor temperatures in dwellings are inappropriate and could be more flexible.
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