ABSTRACT
This chapter provides background information on the human thermoregulation, thermal sensation, and comfort perception. Furthermore, various influencing factors and performance indicators which are of practical relevance for the assessment of an occupant’s thermal comfort are addressed. Corresponding prediction methods in the simulation environment are emphasized based on a description of the necessary conditions for thermal comfort in uniform and non-uniform environments. In this regard, the various levels of detail of available simulation models and their accuracy are distinguished, depending on the conceptual stages of a building during the planning process. The chapter explains various thermal comfort indices and summarizes international codes and standards for thermal quality performance prediction. The chapter also gives application examples that address the simulation of local thermal comfort involving detailed numerical human model, draught risk analysis in conjunction with a coupled CFD approach, as well as typical results obtained by the use of a thermal multi-zone model.
