| Title |
Investigation of individual differences in thermal comfort of elderly residential spaces: Utilizing IoT-based physiological model |
| Authors |
Lee, Junsoo ; Koo, Choongwan |
| DOI |
https://dx.doi.org/10.6106/KJCEM.2024.25.6.086 |
| Keywords |
the elderly; Residential Space; Thermal Comfort; Predicted Mean vote; Heart Rate; Metabolic Rate; Living Lab |
| Abstract |
Ensuring the elderly enjoy comfortable indoor environments is essential for their well-being. While prior research has assessed thermal comfort using the PMV index provided by ISO/ASHRAE, but relied on standardized values for metabolic rate, limiting accuracy. This study aimed to address this challenge by evaluating the elderly's actual thermal comfort, factoring in their activity levels via heart rate-based metabolic rate. In this study, a livinglab environment was established in six residential spaces for the elderly located in Gimje, and the collected data were analyzed. Initial analysis involved grouping residential spaces with similar indoor thermal environments, followed by assessing differences in perceived thermal comfort among the elderly in similar environments. Results revealed the elderly tended to perceive warmer thermal environments (‘PMV_HR’) than the indoor environment (‘PMV_Table’) when it was cooler than usual. Further analysis highlighted significant differences in perceived thermal comfort even within similar indoor environments. This approach offers a precise understanding of the elderly thermal comfort, facilitating the formulation of targeted improvement strategies. Furthermore, it lays the groundwork for shaping welfare policies in residential spaces for the elderly. |