Studies of Subjective Sleep Thermal Comfort and Adaptive Behaviors in Chinese Residential Buildings in Nine Cities

¹ Tianjin Key Laboratory of Indoor Air Environmental Quality Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
² Department of Architecture, School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

^* Corresponding author: dayi_lai@sjtu.edu.cn

Abstract

Sleep thermal comfort greatly impacts the quality of sleep. For residents from different climate regions, their level of sleep thermal comfort may have a large difference due to the variations in climate, and other adaptive factors such as the changes in bedding system insulation, the use of air conditioners, and the opening of windows. To study the thermal comfort and adaptive behaviors of Chinese residents in different regions during sleeping period, this study conducted a long-term survey in nine cities in China from February 2018 to September 2018. For northern residents, they achieved a slight higher than neutral sleep thermal sensation in winter due to the use of central heating system. In summer, the sleep thermal sensation of severe cold (SC) region residents had a significant increase. In the south, although without central heating in winter, southern residents maintained a near neutral thermal sensation, partly because of the high bedding system insulation. Although the summer night outdoor air temperature was high in hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) and hot summer and warm winter (HSWW) regions, the occupants from the two regions actively used the air conditioners to help achieving sleep thermal comfort. The results of this study provide valuable information for designers, researchers, and policy makers to create a comfortable nighttime thermal environment in China.