The influence of air velocity on thermal performance of buildings in the tropics

The indoor buildings in the tropics need to be thermally comfortable for the well-being of the occupants. A thermal comfort survey was conducted in naturally ventilated buildings in southeast Nigeria to determine the influence of air velocity on their thermal performance. This was part of the general study where field work on students was carried out to determine their thermal comfort conditions. The survey was conducted during the rainy season and dry season. Data loggers were adopted to get objective measurements while a questionnaire was used to obtain objective responses. Result shows that the occupants were comfortable with air velocity at a temperature range between 26 -31oC and were uncomfortable at temperatures below 25 ℃ and at temperatures above 31oC.