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  1. Comfort
  2. Thermal comfort

Thermal comfort

Features/Comfort/Feature 76

Thermal comfort

Intent: 

To promote occupant productivity and ensure a sufficient level of thermal comfort.

76: Thermal comfort
    Post Date: 09 Feb, 2017
    Status: Approved

    Multifamily residential projects may certify when not supplying central-system air conditioning or air conditioning units for cooling in individual dwelling units, with the following conditions:
    - Outdoor air is supplied at a volume to meet Feature 3 Part 4 and is filtered to meet Feature 5 Part 2.
    - The developer allocates spaces for tenant-owned, supplemental air conditioning units to be installed.
    - The developer supplies all occupants with tenant guidelines for selecting a high-performance air conditioner unit to maximize comfort and optimize efficiency. The guidelines should detail the importance of local thermal comfort standards including environmental factors of air temperature, humidity, radiant temperature, air speed; and personal factors of metabolic rate and clothing insulation.
    - Projects using this option are limited to Gold level certification, no matter how many optimizations are achieved.
    Post Date: 17 Jan, 2017
    Status: Approved

    Residential projects may fulfill the requirements of Feature 76 by providing a narrative of how the residential units meet local thermal comfort standards (environmental factors: air temperature, humidity, radiant temperature, air speed and personal factors: metabolic rate and clothing insulation) or by providing an allowance for tenants to select an air conditioning unit of their choice from options, which would allow the unit to meet the thermal comfort requirements.
    Post Date: 06 May, 2016
    Status: Not Approved

    Inquiry: In residential units, are the requirements of Feature 76 met if individual unit controls for heating are provided?

    Ruling: No, an exemption from ASHRAE 55 requirements may not be granted in residential units if individual unit controls are provided. It is typical for each unit in a multifamily residential development to have individual control over space temperatures with controls allowing occupants to adjust temperatures. In order to rely on the controllability of the systems as an alternative strategy, it must be demonstrated that the local controls allow occupants to set conditions within the unit to meet ASHRAE 55.