Thermal comfort and adaptation in the temperate zone and the effects of thermal history: A tracking survey field study

Temperate zone has the livable climate condition where buildings are less equipped with air conditioning equipment. Residents here exhibit distinguished features in thermal comfort and adaptability. This study performed a tracking survey in real scenes of the temperate zone to investigate the individual's thermal history and adaptation. There were 50 subjects recruited who had lived in the temperate climate for several years, and totally 713 valid questionnaires were collected. A comprehensive analysis was performed on thermal sensation, thermal comfort, thermal history, and behavior adjustment of clothing. The results revealed that neutral and comfort temperatures were 20.0 °C and 21.2 °C, respectively, which was lower than the predicted values. People preferred to a neutral to slightly warm environment and showed a greater adaptability to the warm condition. Also, it was found that the previous short-term thermal history significantly impacted the current thermal sensation, and the effects of cold experience were more obvious. The clothing insulation ranged from 0.5 clo to 1.0 clo, and people could maintain comfort by adjusting the clothing within ±5.0 °C of the neutral temperature. These findings could contribute to refine the thermal adaptation mechanism, and better guide the construction of thermal environment in temperate zones.