A comfortable indoor environment is essential for students' health and academic performance in schools. As no major concerns were raised on the thermal comfort of students in Nepalese schools, we investigated the present condition of students' thermal comfort in school buildings in the temperate climatic region of Nepal. A survey was conducted on the indoor thermal environment and the associated thermal perception during the middle autumnal season in 2017. Altogether, 818 students participated in this survey; they voted three times: at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of each 45-min lesson. Under the condition of natural ventilation, the indoor globe temperature was close to the outdoor air temperature. Approximately three quarters of the students felt comfortable at an average temperature of 27 • C. Private school students perceived a low estimated comfort temperature, which may be due to wearing more clothing insulation. Even though there is a dress code, students reduced their clothing to adapt to outdoor thermal environment, whose air temperature is above 30 • C. This study provides the adaptive thermal comfort system for Nepalese school students under natural ventilation during the middle autumnal season.
This study investigates the overall comfort and productivity of Japanese office workers in mixed-mode office buildings. The indoor thermal environment is adjusted using the air-conditioning in Japanese office buildings to maintain thermal comfort and productivity. Thus, it is necessary to research thermal comfort and productivity to understand how occupants prepare themselves to be at a comfortable temperature and perform their daily tasks under mixed-mode (MM) and free-running (FR) modes. Environmental parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, and so on were measured in 17 Japanese office buildings with the help of digital instruments, and thermal comfort transverse surveys were conducted for two years in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Odawara of Japan. The data were collected every once a month for a day visiting each building with the measurement instruments, together with the questionnaires. Almost 3000 votes were collected. This paper evaluates the overall comfort discussions followed by how the occupant could achieve their productivity. The occupants were found to be thermally comfortable and productive in the office. The most suitable comfortable temperature range for MM mode was found to be 22–26 °C and 23–25 °C for FR mode. The workers' productivity range is defined by the globe temperature range of 21–27 °C for MM and 20–27 °C for FR mode. The findings should be useful to suggest that whenever new office buildings are designed, these factors always need to be taken into consideration.
Most of the Nepalese school buildings are naturally ventilated and poor in thermal insulation which causes thermal discomfort during cold and hot seasons. Thermally uncomfortable classroom causes a negative impact on the academic performance of students. So, there should be serious attention to improve and optimize the indoor thermal environment of the classroom. This study investigated the students’ perceptions towards thermal comfort in naturally ventilated higher secondary school buildings during the autumn season of 2017 in a temperate climate (Dhading, Kathmandu and Nuwakot districts) of Nepal. 22 classrooms (33 students in average in each class) of 8 school buildings with a total of 818 students aged 12-18 years, 40% males and 60% females have participated. The thermal measurement and thermal comfort survey were conducted during the regular lesson period in each classroom. Students voted at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the class in 15 minutes’ interval of 45 minutes’ lesson period. More than 76% responses of the students were found in the comfort zone with mean comfort temperature 27°C and the preferred temperature 26°C. The findings of this study may hopefully invoke the awareness for the school building designers, teachers and students to control the classroom environment without the use of air conditioning system.
The energy use in schools relates to various factors such as local climate, architectural design, thermal comfort, and so on. The present study explores the thermal comfort of students in higher secondary schools in the temperate climatic region of Nepal during the summer of 2019. Altogether 246 students aged 12-18 years have participated in the survey. The indoor and outdoor temperature were measured together with the thermal comfort survey during the regular lesson. The students voted three times during the regular lesson: morning, midday, and afternoon. A literature review was conducted on energy use in schools in various countries. The comfort temperature in the afternoon was significantly higher than in the morning or in the midday. The comfort temperature is related to the air movement and operative temperature. The strategies such as insulation, shading, and ventilation are helpful to maintain indoor temperature which contributes to the energy saving in building. The Nepalese school students are adapting in the thermal environment of classrooms without energy use.
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