Building and occupant energetics: a physiological hypothesis

Recent studies indicate that the basic premise to provide a tightly controlled thermal indoor climate is unfounded. On the contrary, research suggests that health and comfort may benefit from thermal stimulation outside that established by the current thermal environmental standards. Such an approach may cut two ways: any control strategy that allows temperatures to vary more than allowed by the current standards can (1) improve health and (2) reduce energy consumption by the built environment substantially. So-called adaptive comfort models provide a flexible framework for dynamic indoor-climate-design with ample opportunities for individual fine-tuning. The permissible temperature ranges can extend beyond the physiological thermal neutral zone, ensuring a mild form of temperature training (acclimatization). The hypothesis of this article therefore, is that a dynamic, periodic and spatial variation in indoor temperature (within and beyond the thermoneutral zone) will positively influence long-term comfort and health.