Adaptive thermal comfort in university dormitories in the severe cold area of China

A field survey was conducted on students' thermal comfort in typical university dormitories from the late autumn to the early spring covering the whole space heating period in Harbin, China. It aims to research the influence of climatic adaptation and indoor thermal history on university students in the severe cold area of China. The indoor physical parameters were measured, while the participants answered the online questionnaires about their thermal sensation and thermal comfort, adaptive methods, etc. The results show that the mean thermal sensation votes (MTS) were always greater than PMV predictions. And the deviations between MTS and PMV were evidently discrepant in different seasons. Meanwhile, the thermal neutral temperatures varied in different seasons. As a long-lasting thermal exposure to the artificial heating environment, the participants' thermal adaptability to cold climate had been gradually undermined. Moreover, the participants were sensitive to the indoor temperature fluctuations, especially to the indoor temperature reduction after they had adapted to the indoor heating condition. The implications for energy use and human health during space heating were suggested.