Adaptive comfort in Europe: results from the SCATs surveys with special reference to free-running buildings.

This paper summarises the adaptive approach to thermal comfort and analyses the data collected inSCATs surveys of thermal comfort throughout Europe. These results are used to suggest acceptable bands of temperature in heated or cooled and in free-running buildings. The results suggest that comfort temperatures in real buildings cannot be accurately predicted because of multiple differences between individuals, buildings and cultures in different countries. Equationspredicting the best comfort temperature in free-running and in heated and cooled buildings are presented together with suggestions for the zones within which a minimum of 80% and 65% comfort might be expected.