Measurement method
Thermal comfort
Part of: Indoor environmental quality (IEQ)
Also: PMV, adaptive comfort
The state of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment — a function of air temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, air movement, clothing and activity. Standardised by ASHRAE 55 and ISO 7730, and the reason people open or close windows.
Why it matters indoors
Thermal comfort matters to air quality because it drives behaviour: occupants ventilate when they are warm and seal the room when they are cold, so winter CO₂ and humidity problems are largely comfort problems. Predicted mean vote models and adaptive comfort models define acceptable ranges; both find that people tolerate a wider range when they have control over windows and thermostats.
What the studies report
| Linked to | Effect | Population | Study design | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | share-above 7.5 | — · classroom | comprehensive assessment of indoor air quality and thermal comfort in classrooms: carbon dioxide, operative temperature and relative humidity measured over the school year and compared with the minimum and the optimum requirements of the Spanish RITE standard and Royal Decree 486 | F-1491 A Comprehensive Assessment of Indoor Air Quality and Thermal… (2023) | machine |
Each row is one Finding — a sentence as printed in one study, recorded with its page in the Coridum Knowledge Base. Follow the Finding number for the exact wording and the citation. Checked says who verified the row: machine means every automatic check passed and the surrounding text was read; person means someone read the sentence in the document. Rows are re-checked by a person over time. The studies are curated in the Coridum Knowledge Base; the reading of them together is a Claim, shown separately.
Identifiers
- MeSH
- D000099141
In the literature
- Asyraff et al. Performance of Machine Learning Algorithms considering Spatial Effects Assessment for Indoor Personal Thermal Comfort in Air-Conditioned Workplace (2023). doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202339601064 CKB 0882
- Exploring the impact of window design and ventilation strategies on air quality and thermal comfort in arid educational buildings (2025). Sci Rep. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-01362-y CKB 1150
- A Comprehensive Assessment of Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort in Educational Buildings in the Mediterranean Climate (2023). doi:10.1155/2023/6649829 CKB 0060
Studies in the Coridum Knowledge Base in which this term is used. The definition follows standard usage in WHO, ISO and textbook sources; it is not quoted from these papers.
CKB = document number in the Coridum Knowledge Base, our curated library of peer-reviewed studies. Follow the DOI for the original paper.
Cite this page
Coridum Research. Thermal comfort. Coridum Knowledge G-0081, 16 September 2026. https://coridum.com/k/G-0081/