Does a building renovation improve the indoor thermal comfort? A thermal environment evaluation before and after renovation

A sustainable renovation results in both a good indoor environment and high-energy efficiency. However, contemporary renovations often focus on energy and environmental performance, leaving out other aspects, such as the thermal comfort. The aim of the ongoing study is to compare the results of an extensive thermal environment evaluation before and after major renovation of ten typical 1970’s rental apartments in multi-family buildings located in Southern Sweden. The data collected is comprehensive and includes measurements of air temperature, relative humidity (RH), air velocity, plane radiant and globe temperature, draught rate, turbulence intensity, operative temperature, PMV/PPD indices and thermal sensation (thermal comfort evaluation) using a LumaSense INNOVA 1221 Thermal Comfort data logger. MSR Temp/RH data logger sensors were also placed at four different heights. The outside weather data and individual factors such as clothing, activity, gender, age were also collected. Measurements were taken in the living room of each apartment for 2 hours during three winter seasons: one measurement session before and two after renovation resulting in 30 measurements in total. The preliminary results from the first two winter seasons for draught rate, PMV/PPD, RH and radiant temperature all showed slight improvements after renovation. Further, the study results show that the individual perceived thermal comfort does not always agree with the measured and calculated thermal comfort. The data is currently under analysis and final results will be presented.