Evaluation Model for Indoor Comprehensive Environmental Comfort Based on the Utility Function Method

Indoor environmental comfort is closely related to human health and well-being. This study aimed to establish a quantitative evaluation model for indoor comprehensive environmental comfort based on multiple physical environmental parameters. Firstly, based on the subjective evaluation characteristics of indoor environmental comfort and the principles of a multi-factor comprehensive evaluation, a comprehensive environmental comfort evaluation method utilizing the utility function approach was proposed. Secondly, subjective questionnaires and objective measurements were conducted in the indoor physical environment of rural dwellings in the Guanzhong Plain. The Kano model was employed to quantitatively analyze the influence of individual environmental comfort factors on the comprehensive environmental comfort based on the survey results. The findings revealed that thermal, lighting, and acoustic environments were the key influencing factors, while air quality was considered a non-key factor. Furthermore, quantitative relationships between environmental comfort and individual parameters were established, and the weights of individual environmental factors were determined using the analytic hierarchy process and the entropy weight method, based on the perspective of categorizing functional rooms and usage time periods. Finally, a quantitative evaluation model for indoor comprehensive environmental comfort was proposed that considered the one-vote veto characteristics and differentiated demands.