Thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings: revisions to ASHRAE Standard 55.

A new adaptive comfort standard is included in recently accepted revisions to ASHRAE Standard 55 - 'thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy'. The new standard allows warmer indoor temperatures for naturally ventilated buildings during summer and in warmer climate zones. The paper summarises the research carried out to formulate this new standard, presents some of the findings for naturally ventilated buildings, and discusses the standardization process. Suggests ways to use the ACS for the design, operation and evaluation of buildings and for research. GIS mapping techniques are also used to look at the energy savings potential on a regional scale in the USA. Lastly discusses new directions for researchers and others involved building design and environmental control.