NA-04-2-4 – Do People Like to Feel “Neutral”? Response to the ASHRAE Scale of Subjective Warmth in Relation to Thermal Preference, Indoor and Outdoor Temperature PDF

This analysis explores a discrepancy between “neutral” on the ASHRAE scale and “prefer no change” on a thermal preference scale. The data employed are from numerous field studies drawn from two large databases. Multivariate analysis showed that the ASHRAE scale vote depended not only on the recognized thermal variables but also on the outdoor temperature, while the thermal preference vote was relatively little influenced by outdoor temperature. Of respondents who desired “no change” in their thermal state, many had a thermal sensation other than neutral. If the indoor temperature was warm, their preferred sensation tended to be slightly warmer than “neutral,” while if the outdoor temperature was high, the preferred sensation tended to be slightly cooler than “neutral.” Each effect was about one-third of a unit of the ASHRAE scale. Some implications for research and practice are discussed.

Units: SI