Experimental study of human thermal comfort sensations in classrooms: Complementary evaluation with methods of building envelope performance and questionary application

Trying to evaluate methods of thermal performance of building envelope and its correlation with human comfort sensations this paper presents a study case of a classroom that is evaluated crossing outside-inside temperatures obtained from CSTB, Ecotect, and Arquitrop buildings evaluation tools, comparing comfort thermal sensations responses obtained from questionary applications. The classroom of this study case was also probed experimentally to identify its real thermal behavior. The aim of this approach is to identify the limits of precision presented by the two different methodologies, one centered on the building performance and the other centered on the human behavior. This preliminary study case is the introduction for a methodological approach for understanding the abrangency of human comfort methods such those presented by Fanger, ASHRAE, OLGYAY, Mahoney, Voght, Humprhreys and Givoni, trying to understand how they establishes the limits between the comfort zone for human metabolism. Understanding the necessity of quantifying dispersions on human thermal comfort sensations due to aclimatation issues especially for a country with a large range of latitude variations as Brazil, points to the probability of reducing energy costs with facilities by reducing the difference between inside and outside temperatures.