Thermal Comfort in Tropical Classrooms

This paper examines the comfort criteria of ANSI! ASHRAE Standard 55-1992for their applicability in tropical classrooms. A field study conducted in Hawaii used a variety of methods to collect the data: survey questionnaires, physical measurements, interviews, and behavioral observations. A total of 3,544 students and teachers completed questionnaires in 29 naturally ventilated and air-conditioned classrooms in six schools during two seasons. The majority of classrooms failed to meet the physical specifications of the Standard 55 comfort wne. Thermal neutrality, preference, and acceptabil­ ity results are compared with other field studies and the Stan­ dard 55 criteria. Acceptability votes by occupants of both naturally ventilated and air-conditioned classrooms exceeded the standard's 80% acceptability criteria, regardless of whether physical conditions were in or out of the comfort wne. Responses from these two school populations suggest not only a basis for separate comfort standards but energy conserva­ tion opportunities through raising thermostat set points.