Thermal comfort and behavioural strategies in office buildings located in a hot-arid climate

The effects of indoor climates on thermal perceptions and adaptive behaviou r of office workers during a large field study in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, locat ed in a hot-arid region of Western Australia, are discussed. Clothing insul ation levels were 0.5clo in summer and 0.7 in winter. Thermal neutrality, a ccording to responses on the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers seven-point sensation scale, occurred at 20.3 d egreesC in winter and at 23.3 degreesC in summer. The effect of hot-dry/coo l-dry seasonality on thermal comfort responses of office workers was signif icant. Future research into how the overcooling of office buildings in hot- dry climates can be reduced is called for. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. A ll rights reserved.