| Title |
Quantification of Thermal Sensitivity Threshold in Educational Facility Occupants Based on Real-Time Responses |
| Authors |
이종원(Lee, Jong-Won) ; 홍성원(Hong, Seongwon) ; 이승민(Lee, Seung Min) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.6.273 |
| Keywords |
Post-Occupancy Evaluation; Thermal Sensitivity; Educational Building; Real-Time Monitoring; Thermal Comfort |
| Abstract |
Temporal misalignment between environmental measurements and occupant responses has been identified as a critical issue affecting the
reliability of Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) research. This study proposes a 'Response-time Environmental Data Pairing' methodology to
address this problem in IoT-based continuous monitoring environments and applies it to quantify the thermal sensitivity threshold of
educational facility occupants. Environmental data including temperature, humidity, and CO₂ concentration were collected at 5-minute
intervals from 8 rooms in a university campus building in southern Korea over 10 days in August 2025, yielding 8,756 sensor data points. A
total of 1,100 IEQ-related responses were collected from 23 occupants through a real-time response system, and 674 complete paired datasets
were constructed by matching the average sensor values within ±30 minutes of each response timestamp. Independent samples t-test results
showed that the mean temperature for 'Hot' responses (n=118) was 24.95°C, while that for 'Cold' responses (n=88) was 24.41°C, with the
difference being statistically significant (t=3.67, p=0.0006). The derived thermal sensitivity threshold of 0.54°C is considerably narrower than
the thermal comfort ranges (1.5?5°C) reported in previous studies. This difference is attributed to the fact that while previous studies
measured 'comfort zones,' this study analyzed the temperature conditions at which occupants actively expressed thermal discomfort, i.e., the
'discomfort perception threshold.' These findings suggest that educational facility occupants perceive thermal discomfort within a much
narrower temperature range than conventional thermal comfort standards, indicating the need for more precise HVAC setpoint adjustments.
Furthermore, the response-time environmental data pairing methodology presented in this study provides a practical protocol for conducting
POE in IoT-based continuous monitoring environments. |