Q2. What is the main focus of guidance and of thresholds to protect health?
For thermal comfort in the home, it is the ambient air temperature that has been the main focus of guidance and of thresholds to protect health.
Q3. What is the purpose of the WHO guidance for air temperatures in the home?
The WHO guidance for air temperatures in the home are directed to protecting health, and in particular the health of those more susceptible to heat and/or cold.
Q4. What is the purpose of the WHO guidance on a temperature range?
While the term ‘thermal comfort’ is used to cover a variety of circumstances, the WHO guidance on a temperature range is directed to the home environment, aimed at protecting the health of residents, particularly of those most susceptible and fragile to temperatures outside that range.
Q5. What are the methods for measuring thermal comfort?
The methods for measuring thermal comfort are useful for surveys and studies, and predicting thermal comfort is important for informing designers of buildings.
Q6. What is the rationale behind the PMV index?
The rationale behind this approach is aimed at minimising thenumber of uncomfortable (dissatisfied) people, although ASHRAE state that even with a PMV equal to 0, about 5% of the people will be dissatisfied (ASHRAE 2009, 9.16).
Q7. What are the actions that are aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the dwelling?
These actions include making heating systems more energy efficient; making dwellings more air-tight (but avoiding problems of indoor air quality by ensuring a sufficient ventilation); and improving the thermal insulation of the dwelling.
Q8. What is the main focus of the research on the inability to maintain indoor temperatures within the thermal?
The majority of the work on the inability to maintain indoor temperatures within the thermal comfort range has focused on the health impact of low temperatures.
Q9. What is the definition of a poor supply of energy?
An inadequate supply of energy may also mean an inadequate supply for other basic domestic needs such as for food storage and cooking, maintenance of personal and domestic hygiene, and artificial lighting.
Q10. What is the definition of thermal comfort?
While the term ‘thermal comfort’ is used to cover a variety of circumstances, the World Health Organization’s guidance on thermal comfort is not just about ensuring a sensation of satisfaction with the ambient temperature, it is inextricably linked to health.
Q11. What are the factors that affect thermal comfort?
Thermal comfort will also depend on the activity and the clothing worn by the individual, and the age, health status, gender, and the adaptation to the local environment and climate of the individual and the household (see, for example, Goromosov, 1968; WHO, 1984; ASHRAE, 2009).
Q12. What were the health impacts of a respiratory problem in children?
In a recent report (Marmot Review Team, 2011), as well as increased excess winter death, the direct health impacts were given as including a variety of respiratory problems in children, negative impact on mental health for all ages, and exacerbation of conditions such as arthritis and rheumatism.
Q13. What did the 1987 report say about the health of the elderly?
While the 1987 report stated that no conclusion could be reached on the average indoor air temperate below which the health of the general population may be considered endangered, it did recommend that for certain groups such as the very old (although not specified, the report refers to studies on people over 65 years old) and the very young, there should be a minimum temperature of 20oC.
Q14. What is the purpose of the WHO guidance on the indoor air temperature range?
This report, entitled ‘The Physiological Basis for Health Standards for Dwellings’, includes a section on the thermal environment, and it is this that provided the basis for subsequent WHO guidance on the indoor air temperature range necessary to protect health, including the health of those more likely to be susceptible to high and low temperatures.
Q15. What is the time period for the development of thermal parameters for housing?
time on the impact of the indoor climate on high risk groups, such as older people, the handicapped and young children, to be able to develop indoor thermal parameters for housing at that time.