Experience with occupant control of supplementary cooling in a naturally ventilated environment: some preliminary results from work in progress.

Thirty five occupants of twenty five naturally ventilated rooms can operate supplementary cooling and heating equipment and windows independently to control their local thermal conditions and ventilation in accordance with their personal comfort requirements. Preliminary studies suggest that the use of the supplementary cooling equipment is closely related to outdoor thermal conditions with limited recourse to it in mild weather and resultant substantial energy saving in comparison with consumption that might be expected in a conventionally air conditioned environment. The evidence also indicates a substantial improvement in perception of thermal comfort and air quality since installation of the cooling and heating equipment. A pilot study involving twelve occupants of seven similarly equipped rooms suggests that mechanical intervention is applied to limit indoor temperatures to about 25°C +/- 2 °C when they might otherwise rise to 30°C or more.