Implications of lower indoor temperatures – Not cool for cold susceptible individuals across both sexes
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Implications of lower indoor temperatures – Not cool for cold susceptible individuals across both sexes. / Rupp, Ricardo Forgiarini; Piil, Jacob Feder; Cubel, Claes; Nybo, Lars; Toftum, Jørn.
I: Energy and Buildings, Bind 284, 112829, 2023.Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskrift › Tidsskriftartikel › Forskning › fagfællebedømt
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Implications of lower indoor temperatures – Not cool for cold susceptible individuals across both sexes
AU - Rupp, Ricardo Forgiarini
AU - Piil, Jacob Feder
AU - Cubel, Claes
AU - Nybo, Lars
AU - Toftum, Jørn
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Wider temperature ranges in buildings can reduce building energy use and prevent shortage of energy availability. However, humans do not perceive temperature equally and a general lowering of indoor temperature may in particular impact susceptible individuals. The discrepancy between individuals has been ascribed to sex differences, but is not well understood and could relate to heterogeneity in endogenous heat production or other personal parameters. We, therefore, evaluated individual thermal responses including physiological measurements of metabolic heat production in both men and women, identified, and via experiments, verified as cold sensitive or cold resilient. On average, the cold sensitive group had an 18 % lower resting metabolic rate compared to the cold resilient group when controlling for clothing and other important parameters for heat exchange. We observed a 0.9 °C difference in neutral temperature between sexes, but no difference in thermal perception or skin temperature. We concluded that cold susceptibility is not simply a matter of perception, but relates to a measurable difference in endogenous heat production. Currently mandated temperature setpoints at workplaces or recommended household temperatures do therefore not seem to discriminate between sexes as a result of sex-related differences in physiology, but they might have negative implications for cold sensitive individuals.
AB - Wider temperature ranges in buildings can reduce building energy use and prevent shortage of energy availability. However, humans do not perceive temperature equally and a general lowering of indoor temperature may in particular impact susceptible individuals. The discrepancy between individuals has been ascribed to sex differences, but is not well understood and could relate to heterogeneity in endogenous heat production or other personal parameters. We, therefore, evaluated individual thermal responses including physiological measurements of metabolic heat production in both men and women, identified, and via experiments, verified as cold sensitive or cold resilient. On average, the cold sensitive group had an 18 % lower resting metabolic rate compared to the cold resilient group when controlling for clothing and other important parameters for heat exchange. We observed a 0.9 °C difference in neutral temperature between sexes, but no difference in thermal perception or skin temperature. We concluded that cold susceptibility is not simply a matter of perception, but relates to a measurable difference in endogenous heat production. Currently mandated temperature setpoints at workplaces or recommended household temperatures do therefore not seem to discriminate between sexes as a result of sex-related differences in physiology, but they might have negative implications for cold sensitive individuals.
KW - Cold susceptibility
KW - Energy shortage
KW - Sex difference
KW - Thermal comfort
KW - Thermal disposition
KW - Thermal response
U2 - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.112829
DO - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2023.112829
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85147325860
VL - 284
JO - Energy and Buildings
JF - Energy and Buildings
SN - 0378-7788
M1 - 112829
ER -
ID: 336126296