I have just completed a study exploring the main factors which affect individuals’ thermal comfort in their everyday lives at home. This is in contrast to the majority of thermal comfort studies which are carried out in controlled lab conditions. The study collected thermal warmth samples on 30 winter days from 77 participants in 61 UK homes heated either by Heat pumps, Infrared panels or conventional central heating.

People’s level of thermal comfort was very variable – both for individuals at different times and between individuals (even those living in the same house). Air temperatures in the room accounted for only 14% of this variance which is consistent with some earlier studies. People are variable and unpredictable in both their behaviour and psychology and unique in their anatomy, physiology and sensory experiences. This creates a challenge for attempts to deploy sophisticated technology to control home temperatures as a way to deliver ‘universal’ thermal comfort.

You can read the full report here.