Evaluation of the thermal comfort in different commercial buildings in Guangzhou

A post-occupancy study of the thermal environment and thermal comfort in office buildings certified with China’s one- to three-star green building label was compared with traditional office buildings. The results showed that the indoor temperature and air movement of both building types met the GB/T 50378, Green Building Evaluation Standard. The green office buildings outperformed conventional office buildings, and occupants had a more comfortable thermal perception and a higher satisfaction level. The three-star buildings were shown to produce the best performance. The comfort temperature range of office workers in green office buildings was about 4°C. The wider comfort temperature range suggests that employees in green office buildings are better adapted to their thermal environment and may have greater potential for energy savings in the design and intelligent operation of air-conditioning systems. The purpose of this study is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the indoor conditions of green office buildings in China, which may have implications for design decisions on green building practices, and provide guidance for the design and operation of green buildings that can create a better indoor environment with better energy consumption and carbon emission while ensuring indoor thermal comfort.