Thermal Comfort of Older People: Validation of the MPMV Model

Abdelaziz Laouadi (), Melina Sirati and Zahra Jandaghian
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Abdelaziz Laouadi: Construction Research Centre, National Research Council Canada (NRC), 1200 Montreal Road, Building M-24, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
Melina Sirati: Construction Research Centre, National Research Council Canada (NRC), 1200 Montreal Road, Building M-24, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
Zahra Jandaghian: Construction Research Centre, National Research Council Canada (NRC), 1200 Montreal Road, Building M-24, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-25

Abstract: Older people are the most vulnerable to extreme heat and cold events, and understanding their thermal comfort requirements is an important component for the design of healthy buildings. There are, however, very few predictive thermal comfort models for older populations. The aim of this paper was to validate the newly developed MPMV model for older people using thermal sensation data collected in climatic chambers and field studies in urban and rural buildings under various climate zones. Besides the six customary physical parameters governing thermal perception, the model accounts for additional factors covering heat retrieval from or heat addition to the body core and adjustment constants for regulatory sweating rate and non-shivering thermogenesis, which are important for the thermal adaptation of people in real settings. The model predictions show good agreement with measurement in climate chambers, with an overall RMSE = 0.44. Similarly, the model reproduces field measurement with a high degree of accuracy in 71% of the studies, with RMSE = 0.52. The major differences were observed in urban and rural residences during the winter of cold climates and summer of hot climates. These discrepancies could be attributed to unreported factors, such as the transient effects, misestimation of personal input data, and seasonal adaptation of residents.

Keywords: thermal comfort; thermal sensation; predicted mean vote; MPMV; elderly; older people; climate chamber; field study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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