Influence of perceived control on thermal comfort in winter, A case study in hot summer and cold winter zone in China

Psychological impact is widely regarded as one of the most important factors in adaptive thermal comfort model. According to perceived control theory, perceived control is an important part of psychological impact. In order to explore the effect of perceived control on thermal comfort in the Hot Summer and Cold Winter (HSCW) zone in China, a field study and a climate chamber experiment were conducted. The field survey on thermal comfort was carried out in two residential buildings with split air-conditioners and central heating systems respectively in HSCW zone in winter. The results show that the thermal neutral temperatures of residents in residential buildings with split air-conditioners and central heating systems are 16.9 °C and 18.6 °C. From the perspective of thermal comfort, the central heating system in northern China is not suitable for direct application in southern China. Then, the effect of perceived control on thermal comfort was tested in a climate chamber. The results show that when the indoor operative temperature deviates from 18 °C, the thermal sensations of subjects with perceived control are closer to thermal neutral than those without perceived control. The effect of perceived control has a linear relationship with indoor operative temperature. The experimental results show that the perceived control can improve the thermal comfort of residents in winter. It is suggested to provide residents various ways to effectively control the thermal environment through windows and controllable terminal of heating systems, which can improve the thermal comfort of residents and reduce heating energy consumption.