Requirements of Non-Standard Groups
This has been a very brief look at the variations in thermal conditions that can influence the basic comfort charts in Figures 3.1 and 3.2. There has been no mention of different requirements for different age groups or sexes. Most research is done on healthy adults, and Standard 55 admits this fact by noting that there is little data on the comfort requirements for children, the disabled or the infirm.
However, most research on differences between groups indicates that different acceptability is due to different behavior, rather than different thermal comfort requirements. For example, elderly people often like a warmer temperature than younger people do. This is reasonable, since the elderly tend to be much less active, resulting in a lower met rate. In a similar way, women are thought to prefer a warmer temperature than men, but comparative studies indicate that the reason for the difference is that women wear a lower clo value ensemble of clothes.
Lastly there is the idea that people prefer their space to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Consider a one-level house. In summer, it is hot and sunny outside. As a result, the walls and roof become much warmer than they are in cooler weather. For the occupant, the radiant temperature is higher, and therefore, to maintain the same thermal conditions, the air temperature needs to be lower. Conversely, in cold winter weather, the walls, windows and ceilings become cooler and the occupant will need a higher air temperature to maintain the same level of comfort.