Max Deuble | The University of Sydney (original) (raw)

Papers by Max Deuble

Building Research & Information, 2015

ABSTRACT This survey of thermal comfort in classrooms aimed to define empirically the preferred t... more ABSTRACT This survey of thermal comfort in classrooms aimed to define empirically the preferred temperatures, neutral temperatures and acceptable temperature ranges for Australian school children, and to compare them with findings from adult populations. The survey was conducted in a mixture of air-conditioned, evaporative-cooled and naturally ventilated classrooms in nine schools located in three distinct subtropical climate zones during the summer of 2013. A total of 2850 questionnaires were collected from both primary (grade) and secondary (high) schools. An indoor operative temperature of about 22.5°C was found to be the students’ neutral and preferred temperature, which is generally cooler than expected for adults under the same thermal environmental conditions. Despite the lower-than-expected neutrality, the school children demonstrated considerable adaptability to indoor temperature variations, with one thermal sensation unit equating to approximately 4°C operative temperature. Working on the industry-accepted assumption that an acceptable range of indoor operative temperatures corresponds to group mean thermal sensations of −0.85 through to +0.85, the present analysis indicates an acceptable summertime range for Australian students from 19.5 to 26.6°C. The analyses also revealed between-school differences in thermal sensitivity, with students in locations exposed to wider weather variations showing greater thermal adaptability than those in more equable weather districts.

Intelligent Buildings International, 2014

Current climate predictions are showing that Australia can expect warmer summers and increased nu... more Current climate predictions are showing that Australia can expect warmer summers and increased number and severity of heat waves. This changing climate has significant implications for the design of buildings and air conditioning systems. The paper demonstrates that Australia will move to being a cooling dominated continent with a higher number of warm days and a reduced number of cold days. Updated typical meteorological years (TMYs) have been developed suitable for building thermal models used to predict the energy rating of buildings. Indicative future design temperature data is also presented for future years. The applicability of a varying indoor temperature set point which is outdoor temperature dependant was experimentally investigated in dwellings. Adaptive comfort was validated, highlighting that people can be thermally comfortable at higher than typically assumed indoor comfort temperatures during hot weather. This research provides proposed updated TMY, design outdoor and...

In a field study conducted in office settings in Sydney, Australia, background survey and right-h... more In a field study conducted in office settings in Sydney, Australia, background survey and right-here-right-now thermal comfort questionnaires were collected from a sample of office workers. Indoor environmental observations, including air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, and relative humidity, were also recorded and matched with each questionnaire according to the time and location. During exploratory data analyses, we observed that female subjects aged over 40 and 50 or younger registered significantly warmer sensations than other subjects, male and female, from other age ranges. To further explore this phenomenon, the sample of building occupants was classified into two groups-women of perimenopausal age (over 40 and 50 or younger) while the remaining respondents served as a reference group for comparison. Women in the perimenopausal age range demonstrated an increased perception of warmth (p < 0.01) and expressed thermal dissatisfaction more frequently (p &...

Climate change is leading to an increased frequency and severity of heat waves. Spells of several... more Climate change is leading to an increased frequency and severity of heat waves. Spells of several consecutive days of unusually high temperatures have led to increased mortality rates for the more vulnerable in the community. The problem is compounded by the escalating energy costs and increasing peak electrical demand as people become more reliant on air conditioning. Domestic air conditioning is the primary determinant of peak power demand which has been a major driver of higher electricity costs. This report presents the findings of multidisciplinary research which develops a national framework to evaluate the potential impacts of heat waves. It presents a technical, social and economic approach to adapt Australian residential buildings to ameliorate the impact of heat waves in the community and reduce the risk of its adverse outcomes. Through the development of a methodology for estimating the impact of global warming on key weather parameters in 2030 and 2050, it is possible to re-evaluate the size and anticipated energy consumption of air conditioners in future years for various climate zones in Australia. Over the coming decades it is likely that mainland Australia will require more cooling than heating. While in some parts the total electricity usage for heating and cooling may remain unchanged, there is an overall significant increase in peak electricity demand, likely to further drive electricity prices. Through monitoring groups of households in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, the impact of heat waves on both thermal comfort sensation and energy consumption for air conditioning has been evaluated. The results show that households are likely to be able to tolerate slightly increased temperature levels indoors during periods of high outside temperatures. The research identified that household electricity costs are likely to rise above what is currently projected due to the impact of climate change. Through a number of regulatory changes to both household design and air conditioners, this impact can be minimised. A number of proposed retrofit and design measures are provided, which can readily reduce electricity usage for cooling at minimal cost to the household. Using a number of social research instruments, it is evident that households are willing to change behaviour rather than to spend money. Those on lower income and elderly individuals are the least able to afford the use of air conditioning and should be a priority for interventions and assistance. Increasing community awareness of cost-effective strategies to manage comfort and health during heat waves is a high priority recommended action. Overall, the research showed that a combined approach including behaviour change, dwelling modification and improved air conditioner selection can readily adapt Australian households to the impact of heat waves, reducing the risk of heat related deaths and household energy costs. Wasim Saman John Boland Stephen Pullen Barbara Pocock Martin Belusko Frank Bruno David Whaley John Pockett with others

This survey of thermal comfort in classrooms aimed to define empirically the preferred temperatur... more This survey of thermal comfort in classrooms aimed to define empirically the preferred temperatures, neutral temperatures and acceptable temperature ranges for Australian school children, and to compare them with findings from adult populations. The survey was conducted in a mixture of air-conditioned, evaporative-cooled and naturally ventilated classrooms in nine schools located in three distinct subtropical climate zones during the summer of 2013. A total of
2850 questionnaires were collected from both primary (grade) and secondary (high) schools. An indoor operative temperature of about 22.58C was found to be the students’ neutral and preferred temperature, which is generally cooler
than expected for adults under the same thermal environmental conditions. Despite the lower-than-expected neutrality,
the school children demonstrated considerable adaptability to indoor temperature variations, with one thermal sensation unit equating to approximately 48C operative temperature. Working on the industry-accepted assumption that an acceptable range of indoor operative temperatures corresponds to group mean thermal sensations of 20.85 through to 10.85, the present analysis indicates an acceptable summertime range for Australian students from 19.5 to 26.68C. The analyses also revealed between-school differences in thermal sensitivity, with students in locations exposed
to wider weather variations showing greater thermal adaptability than those in more equable weather districts

AIRAH EcoLibirum, Sep 2014

2014 Windsor Conference: Counting the Cost of Comfort in a Changing World, Windsor, UK, 10-13 April 2014. London: Network for Comfort and Energy Use in Buildings, http://nceub.org.uk, Apr 10, 2014

Considering school students spend up to one third of their day inside classrooms, it’s surprising... more Considering school students spend up to one third of their day inside classrooms, it’s surprising how few detailed empirical studies have been conducted into how the thermal environment of classrooms affects students’ comfort and performance. Whereas PMV tends to exaggerate warm discomfort for adults, the literature suggests it underestimate children’s actual thermal sensation, but there is no coherent explanation for this in terms of metabolic or other physiological differences to date. The aim of this study was to conduct a thermal comfort survey in actual classrooms with a view to empirically defining preferred temperatures, neutral temperatures, and acceptable temperature ranges for Australian school children, and to compare them with findings from adult populations. The study informs a thermal comfort (air conditioning) policy being developed for Australian schools. The survey was conducted in a mixture of Air-Conditioned (AC), Evaporative-Cooled (EC), and Naturally-Ventilated (NV) classrooms in 10 schools during the Austral summer of 2013. Both Primary (grade) school and high schools were included in the sample. The survey was conducted twice a day (morning and afternoon), and the survey period varied between schools, from one week up to three weeks. After quality assurance processing a total of 3,129 questionnaires were retained from the sample of students and 138 samples were from the teachers. An indoor operative temperature of about 22.5°C was found to be the students’ neutral and preferred temperature, which is generally cooler than expected of adults under the same thermal environmental conditions, confirming earlier research findings in the thermal comfort literature. Working on the industry-accepted assumption that an acceptable range of indoor operative temperatures corresponds to mean thermal sensations of -0.5 through +0.5 (ASHRAE 2013; ISO 2005), the present analysis indicates an acceptable summertime range for primary and high school students from about 18.5 through to about 26.5oC operative temperature. The paper concludes with hypotheses to explain differences between thermal comfort of children and adults.

Intelligent Buildings International, 6(2): 112-134, May 8, 2014

Historically, post-occupancy evaluation (POE) was developed to evaluate actual building performan... more Historically, post-occupancy evaluation (POE) was developed to evaluate actual building performance, providing feedback for architects and building managers to potentially improve the quality and operation of the building. Whilst useful in gathering information based on user satisfaction, POE studies have typically lacked contextual information, continued feedback and physical measurements of the building’s indoor climate. They, therefore, sometimes over-exaggerate poor building performance. POEs conducted in two academic office buildings: a mixed-mode (MM) and a naturally ventilated (NV) building located within a university in Sydney, Australia, suggest high levels of occupant dissatisfaction, especially in the MM building. In order to test the validity of the POE results, parallel thermal comfort studies were conducted to investigate the differences in occupant satisfaction and comfort perceptions between these two questionnaires. Instrumental measurements of each building’s indoor environment reveal that occupants tended to over-exaggerate their POE comfort responses. Analysis of thermal satisfaction and acceptability in each building indicate that occupants of the NV building were more tolerant of their thermal environment despite experiencing significantly warmer temperatures than their MM counterparts. In discussing these results, along with participant comments and anecdotal evidence from each building, this article contends that POE does not accurately evaluate building performance, suggesting occupants can and do use POE as a vehicle for complaint about general workplace issues, unrelated to their building. In providing a critical review of current POE methods, this article aims to provide recommendations as to how they can be improved, encouraging a more holistic approach to building performance evaluation.

This paper describes the practical application of an Adaptive Thermal Comfort Policy for schools ... more This paper describes the practical application of an Adaptive Thermal Comfort Policy for schools buildings in Australia. To date decisions about where and when to install air-conditioning in schools have been based on an isotherm on the climate map of the region in which they operate. The ASHRAE 55-2010R adaptive model was used as the basis for the thermal comfort criteria with an exponentially weighted
running mean outdoor temperature for input. Two metrics have been proposed for the diagnosis of overheating: a) % of occupied hours during which indoor operative temperature exceeds the upper limit (80% acceptability), and b) cumulated degree-hours based on an indoor operative temperature baseline of the upper limit (80% acceptability). Indoor microclimatic data was collected from these schools with simultaneous application of thermal comfort questionnaires. Data from these field studies reinforces the adoption of the Adaptive Thermal Comfort Policy, stimulating naturally ventilated buildings, increasing adaptive opportunities and behavior within these indoor environments before resorting to air- conditioning as the main provider of thermal comfort

Building Research & Information, 2015

Intelligent Buildings International, 2014

AIRAH EcoLibirum, Sep 2014

2014 Windsor Conference: Counting the Cost of Comfort in a Changing World, Windsor, UK, 10-13 April 2014. London: Network for Comfort and Energy Use in Buildings, http://nceub.org.uk, Apr 10, 2014

Intelligent Buildings International, 6(2): 112-134, May 8, 2014

DOI:10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.02.029 Existing procedures for the assessment of the thermal envir... more DOI:10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.02.029

Existing procedures for the assessment of the thermal environment in the fields of public weather services,
public health systems, precautionary planning, urban design,
tourism and recreation and climate impact research exhibit
significant shortcomings. This is most evident for simple
(mostly two-parameter) indices, when comparing them to
complete heat budget models developed since the 1960s.
ISB Commission 6 took up the idea of developing a Universal
Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) based on the most advanced
multi-node model of thermoregulation representing progress
in science within the last three to four decades, both in thermophysiological and heat exchange theory. Creating the essential
research synergies for the development of UTCI required
pooling the resources of multidisciplinary experts in the fields
of thermal physiology, mathematical modelling, occupational
medicine, meteorological data handling (in particular radiation modelling) and application development in a network. It was possible to extend the expertise of ISB Commission 6 substantially by COST (a European programme promoting Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action 730 so that finally over 45 scientists from 23 countries (Australia, Canada, Israel, several Europe countries, New Zealand, and the United States) worked together. The work was performed under the umbrella of theWMO Commission on Climatology (CCl). After extensive evaluations, Fiala’s multi-node human physiology and thermal comfort model (FPC) was adopted for this study. The model was validated extensively, applying as yet unused data from other research groups, and extended for the purposes of the project. This model was coupled with a
state-of-the-art clothing model taking into consideration
behavioural adaptation of clothing insulation by the general
urban population in response to actual environmental temperature. UTCI was then derived conceptually as an equivalent temperature (ET). Thus, for any combination of air temperature, wind, radiation, and humidity (stress), UTCI is defined as the isothermal air temperature of the reference condition that would elicit the same dynamic response (strain) of the physiological model. As UTCI is based on contemporary science its use will standardise applications in the major fields of human biometeorology, thus making research results comparable and physiologically relevant.

Intelligent Buildings International , 2014

DOI: 10.1080/17508975.2014.883299 Historically, post-occupancy evaluation (POE) was developed ... more DOI: 10.1080/17508975.2014.883299

Historically, post-occupancy evaluation (POE) was developed to evaluate actual building performance, providing feedback for architects and building managers to potentially improve the quality and operation of the building. Whilst useful in gathering information based on user satisfaction, POE studies have typically lacked contextual information, continued feedback and physical measurements of the building's indoor climate. They, therefore, sometimes over-exaggerate poor building performance. POEs conducted in two academic office buildings: a mixed-mode (MM) and a naturally ventilated (NV) building located within a university in Sydney, Australia, suggest high levels of occupant dissatisfaction, especially in the MM building. In order to test the validity of the POE results, parallel thermal comfort studies were conducted to investigate the differences in occupant satisfaction and comfort perceptions between these two questionnaires. Instrumental measurements of each building's indoor environment reveal that occupants tended to over-exaggerate their POE comfort responses. Analysis of thermal satisfaction and acceptability in each building indicate that occupants of the NV building were more tolerant of their thermal environment despite experiencing significantly warmer temperatures than their MM counterparts. In discussing these results, along with participant comments and anecdotal evidence from each building, this article contends that POE does not accurately evaluate building performance, suggesting occupants can and do use POE as a vehicle for complaint about general workplace issues, unrelated to their building. In providing a critical review of current POE methods, this article aims to provide recommendations as to how they can be improved, encouraging a more holistic approach to building performance evaluation.

6th Windsor Conference: Adapting to Change: New Thinking on Comfort Deuble, M., de Dear, R. (2010)

43rd Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Architectural Science Association ANZASc... more 43rd Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Architectural Science Association ANZAScA 2009
Drake, S., de Dear, R., Alessio, A.,(2009).