title: Indoor human thermal adaptation: dynamic processes and weighting factors.
abstract: In this study, we explore the correlations between indoor climate change and human thermal adaptation, especially with regard to the timescale and weighting factors of physiological adaptation. A comparative experiment was conducted in China where wintertime indoor climate in the southern region (devoid of space heating) is much colder than in the northern region (with pervasive district heating). Four subject groups with different indoor thermal experiences participated in this climate chamber experiment. The results indicate that previous indoor thermal exposure is an important contributor to occupants' physiological adaptation. More specifically, subjects acclimated to neutral-warm indoors tended to have stronger physiological responses and felt more uncomfortable in moderate cold exposures than those adapted to the cold. As for the driving force of thermal adaptation, physiological acclimation is an important aspect among all the supposed adaptive layers. However, the physiological adaptation speed lags behind changes in the overall subjective perception.
authors.affiliation: Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.|Center of Built Environment, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.|Key Laboratory of Eco-Planning & Green Building, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.|Key Laboratory of Eco-Planning & Green Building, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.affiliation: Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.|Key Laboratory of Eco-Planning & Green Building, Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000389:Air Conditioning; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D002681:China; D057231:Climate Change; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000071436:Thermotolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cold exposure; indoor thermal environment; physiological adaptation; thermal adaptation; thermal comfort; thermal health