Classrooms and comfort temperature in South East Nigeria

A field study was conducted in naturally ventilated public-school buildings located in the warm and humid climate of Imo State in Nigeria, to determine the comfort temperature of the schoolchildren. The survey took place from October 2017 to May 2018, covering rainy season and dry season, where objective and subjective approaches to data collection were employed. Results of the fieldwork of the 330 surveyed children (aged 7-12 years) revealed that the maximum comfort temperature derived from their responses corresponding to mean thermal sensations of +0.85, is 31.6oC for the combined classrooms. This is about 4.9oC higher than the ASHRAE upper 80% acceptability limit. Furthermore, when categorized according to season and time of day, the comfort temperature were also found to be higher than the ASHRAE upper limit. The study shows that respondents in a tropical country, such as in Nigeria, can be comfortable at high temperatures. The information on comfort temperature is important as that may guide professionals in the building industry to achieve eco-friendly and sustainable classrooms that use less energy and at the same time provide thermal comfort to the occupants.