Thermal comfort of a typical secondary school building in Cyprus

Abstract

A field study is conducted in a secondary school building in Cyprus, to assess the indoor thermal conditions during the students' lesson hours. The survey is carried out in Neapolis Gymnasium which is a typical Cypriot school located in the coastal city of Limassol. Requirements for comfort are critical especially to pupils' performance and welfare. Classrooms, laboratories and administrative offices are chosen for investigation of indoor and outdoor thermal conditions. Air temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) are monitored using indoor and outdoor sensors simultaneously throughout the four seasons of the year. Data analysis compares the results with international standards, ASHRAE Standard 55, ISO Standard 7730, etc. Thermal comfort variables are measured at the same time when students and teachers completed a questionnaire which focuses on their perception of the indoor climate. Fanger's comfort indicators are calculated (PMV, predicted mean vote and PPD, predicted percentage of dissatisfied people) and the actual people clothing and metabolic rate are estimated in order to conclude to the prevailing indoor thermal conditions of the school.