ARCH-432 Human Comfort

Attendance When was the first recorded example of a bioterrorist attack? A. France (1210 AD) B. Rome (65 AD) C. Persia (600 BC) D. Egypt (1400 BC) E. Mesopotamia (5200 BC)

Attendance C. Persia (600 BC) During the siege of a City, a Persian King poisoned the well serving the city with rye ergot, a common mold often found on bread. Scientists speculate that the Salem witch trials may have been precipitated by the same mold outbreak, whose symptoms include paranoia, hallucinations and, in severe cases, death.

What You Need to Know Understand the basic terms and principles of human comfort Know what makes people comfortable and uncomfortable

What You Need To Be Able To Do Specify comfortable conditions based upon occupancy, met level and clo value Comfort zone a building

Terms Comfort Occupied zone Personal parameter Met rate Clo Value Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT) Temperature zoning

Comfort “The condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment. A building is considered comfortable when 80% or more of the occupants will find the environment thermally acceptable” ASHRAE Standard

Comfort What is ASHRAE? ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry. They create the standards that all other standards are derived, LEED, Green Building Council, Codes and etc.

Comfort Concerns Can be very emotional Can be very subjective Can be very costly Source: Lincoln Journal and Star

Comfort v. Productivity Research from Texas: Building conditions can impact student achievement by as much as 17% Any temperature over 74° F harms student’s math and science scores

Comfort Criteria Environment Air temperature Radiant temperature (MRT) Building orientation Humidity Air speed Noise Lighting Personal Parameters Clothing (clo) Metabolism (met) Age Size

Personal Parameters – Met & Clo Source: Bradshaw reading assignment

Heat Transfer from Occupants How do people transfer heat to maintain comfort?

Personal Parameters Met (Metabolic Rate) value Human reactions to met value Clo value Human reactions to clo value How do you change the environment to match the Met and the Clo?

Clo Value TFIncreasing the Clo value in the winter is a way to save energy in the winter months in Pullman Washington. TFA Clo value corresponds to a person’s ability to gain or lose heat.

Radon Gas

Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Scientists estimate that approximately 15,000 to 22,000 lung cancer deaths per year are related to radon. Exposure to the combination of radon gas and cigarette smoke creates a greater risk for lung cancer than either factor alone. The majority of radon-related cancer deaths occur among smokers. From: National Cancer Institute

Temperature Zones At what operating point is any HVAC system most efficient?

Temperature Zones Temperature zone = a space or group of spaces within a building with heating and/or cooling requirements sufficiently similar that comfort conditions can be maintained by a single controlling device. Criteria for a temperature zone?

Temperature Zones More zones more cost $? More zones less cost$?

Team Problem Solving Considering initial cost, comfort, activity (met level) and energy conservation, how many different temperature zones should be included on the next slide? A. 1 to 3 B. 4 to 5 C. 6 to 7 D. 8+

One Answer Zones not colored are unconditioned

4,800 CFM CFM CFM 4,450 CFM

350 CFM 4,450 CFM 820 CFM 4,450 CFM -820 CFM 3,630 CFM 150 CFM -150 CFM 0 CFM

350 CFM 4,450 CFM 820 CFM 3,630 CFM CFM CFM 4,500 CFM What happened to the remaining 300 CFM? Fresh Air at 720 CFM

350 CFM 4,450 CFM 820 CFM What happened to the remaining 300 CFM? Answer : 300 CFM Being pulled out of instructors dressing room Fresh Air at 720 CFM 300 CFM

350 CFM 4,450 CFM 820 CFM Fresh Air at 720 CFM 300 CFM - Air Neutral 4,080 CFM

350 CFM 4,450 CFM 820 CFM Fresh Air at 920 CFM 100 CFM + Air Neutral 3,880 CFM 920 CFM

Mother Nature Mother nature MUST balance Herself!

Temperature Zones Is there a DB Temperature and RH that would provide the optimal comfort in the spaces you have identified?

Comfort ASHRAE Standard Usually defined in terms of Temperature (DB) and Relative Humidity LEED Credit EQ 7.1 – Compliance with ASHRAE Standard Source: ASHRAE

Zones with ASHRAE Standard 55

Green/High-Performance Rules of Thumb Winter Move to the left to reduce energy You can move further left if you move up You can move further left if you reduce velocity of the air

Green/High Performance Rules of Thumb Summer Move to the right to reduce energy You can move further right if you move down You can move further right if you increase velocity of the air

Take-Aways (the ‘Ah-hahs’) Comfort is a moving target Aim for 80% acceptance Focus on the criteria you can control Keep both eyes on ASHRAE-55 Zone to optimize performance and comfort