Comfort
This tab is displayed for room templates only. It specifies the comfort settings that apply at a room level to the VistaPro post-processed comfort output; comfort analyses are triggered from the VistaPro Comfort analysis dialog.
General
Metabolic rate
The metabolic rate of the occupants in this space.
Clothing CLO
The clothing of the occupants in this space. Given the sensitivity of CLO in comfort analyses the CLO value can be specified to adjust to reflect sensible changes in season, weather and how occupants will react. The user has three method options:
- Min & max; the comfort analysis will calculate comfort twice at each step using the entered CLO values and use the CLO value that produces the most comfortable result i.e. it automatically mimics users making reasonable adjustments to their clothing;
- MOD profile using min & max; the comfort analysis will utilise either of the entered min & max CLO values based on the specified modulating profile (when profile value is 0 lower CLO is used and when value is 1 the higher CLO value is used);
- ABS profile; the comfort analysis will utilise the CLO value from the specified Absolue profile.
Users should be aware that comfort analyses are typically valid over fixed MET, air speed and CLO ranges.
Normal air speed
The normal air speed in the room; this input is limited to between 0.10 and 0.2 m/s.
Elevated air speed
The elevated air speed in the room; this input is limited to between 0.10 and 0.8 m/s & to between 0.10 and 1.6 m/s depending on the selection of the local speed option (see below).
Air circulation fans
The air circulated fans option allows the user to specify the sensible heat gain and power consumption of in-room air circulation fans; the fan gains are not subsequently displayed on the gains tab.
Note: this is optional for room heat gain and power consumption simulation and will not affect presence of the elevated air speed itself in Comfort calculation.
- Select Number of fans in the space, acts as a multiplier for the gain and power calculation
- Sensible heat gain per fan (W) is the heat addition to the space for each fan, used like an internal gain when calculating room heat balance
- Power consumption per fan (W) is the power of each fan, used when calculating Electricity energy consumption in simulation.
- Variation profile is a modulating profile to specify times when the fan is operating or not, this will affect calculation of the heat addition and power consumptions in simulation.
Local Air Speed Control
Select this option to specify if the room occupants have control over the operation of measures which may vary air speed (e.g. fans), will be used in the ASHRAE 55 Elevated Air speed Comfort calculations in VistaPro.
Short wave radiation
This section defines parameters to facilitate ASHRAE 55: 2017 normative appendix C comfort assessment of a generic occupant in the space if they are wholly or in-part receiving short wave radiation. The implementation looks at sun on all windows on the space, total window & internal blind solar transmittance for the space and Apache blind operation.
Sky vault fraction
The proportion of the sky that is in view to the occupant (typically 0.2).
Body SW absorptivity
The occupant’s short wave absorptivity (typically 0.7).
Body exposed fraction
The fraction of the occupant’s body exposed to the sun; this takes in to account window geometry and furniture that may shield the occupant (typically 0.5).
Posture
The occupants posture; seated or standing.
Mitigation variation
An optional MOD profile that can be utilised to prevent short wave exposure;
the default setting continuously OFF means exposure is not prevented, when value is ON then no discomfort is assumed and the calculation in VistaPro will not report any failure of predicted men vote for the space.
Occupant angle
The absolute orientation angle of the occupant (from north clockwise).