Plus Energy Buildings aim to deliver the ideal experience of living in a home where the indoor environment feels just right: not too hot, not too cold, and always fresh and comfortable. All this, while being energy efficient and environmentally friendly. But achieving comfort is more than just keeping the temperature constant: it’s about designing spaces that adapt to people’s needs and preferences.
Most modern buildings aim to keep indoor temperatures constant: this is called "thermal neutrality." The idea is to make the temperature so constant that people don’t even notice it. However, research shows that keeping a narrow temperature range uses a lot of energy and doesn’t always make people feel more comfortable.
Interestingly, people often feel better in buildings where temperatures vary slightly, as it allows them to adapt. In spaces with tightly controlled environments, people’s comfort expectations tend to rise, and they become less satisfied over time. Once these expectations increase, it’s hard to lower them, which leads to higher demands for better indoor conditions. To truly meet the needs of different users, Plus Energy Buildings should move away from one-size-fits-all environments.
PEBs’ design should create dynamic spaces where people can control their own comfort.
Strategies for more comfortable indoor environments
How can user comfort be prioritized while reducing energy consumption?
- Air movement: increase airflow across people’s skin using natural ventilation or localized fans.
- Localized heating and cooling: use systems that warm or cool specific body surfaces, instead of the whole room.
- Thermal gradients: allow for different temperatures within a space, both vertically (e.g., warmer at the top, cooler near the floor) and horizontally (different areas of a room).
- Energy-efficient designs: move away from sealed buildings that rely heavily on air conditioning and embrace lower-energy solutions.
- Use of natural weather patterns: designs should take advantage of daily, seasonal, and weather-based temperature changes to keep the environment interesting and reduce monotony.
- Tailored building design: consider the climate and cultural background of the building’s users when designing spaces.
- Personal comfort systems: empower users to control their environment.
- Mix-mode buildings: integrate both natural ventilation and mechnical ventilation systems with automated controls to switch between the two systems as needed.
This user-centred approach focuses on creating healthy, adaptable environments that encourage people to be more mindful
of how their daily actions affect energy use and building performance.
Understanding comfort across cultures
PEBs embrace diversity in design by considering cultural and climate differences, moving beyond rigid standards of "perfect" indoor climates.
Researchers studied feedback from people in different countries to understand how comfort expectations vary. They looked at how acceptable people found indoor temperatures under various ventilation and air movement conditions. These findings, shown in the tables, highlight which conditions are preferred in different locations.
