Behavioural responses to cold thermal discomfort

Heating energy demand in buildings depends in part on occupants’ behavioural responses to thermal discomfort during the heating season. The understanding of this has become one of the priorities in the quest to reduce energy demand. Thermal comfort models have long been associated with occupants’ behaviour by predicting their state of thermal comfort or rather discomfort. These assumed that occupants would act upon their level of discomfort through three types of response: mechanisms of thermoregulation, psychological adaptation and behavioural responses. Little research has focused on the behavioural aspect. One of the key challenges is to gather accurate measurements while using discreet, sensor-based, observation methods in order to have minimum impact on occupants’ behaviour. To address these issues, a mixed-methods approach is introduced that enables the establishment of a three-part framework for mapping behaviour responses to cold sensations: (1) increasing clothing insulation level; (2) increasing operative temperature by turning the heating system on/up; and (3) increasing the frequency, duration and/or amplitude of localized behaviour responses such as warm drink intake or changing rooms. Drawing on this framework, an extended model of thermal discomfort response is introduced that incorporates a wider range of observed behaviours.