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<p>Extensive research has established that thermal perception varies significantly across climate zones. However, existing studies predominantly focus on typical climate regions, leaving a critical gap in understanding populations inhabiting unique microclimates such as Southern China’s hot-humid, low-wind environments. This investigation bridges this gap through comprehensive questionnaire surveys and controlled environmental chamber experiments involving 20 elderly and 20 young adult participants (<i>n</i> = 20 per group) from Guangxi. Our findings reveal substantial intergenerational differences in thermal comfort responses within Southeast Guangxi’s distinctive climate. Elderly participants demonstrated greater heat tolerance, evidenced by both physiological indicators (skin temperature, heart rate variability) and psychological metrics (thermal sensation votes, neutral temperature). Specifically, the thermoneutral temperature was determined to be 27.0&#xa0;°C for elderly subjects compared to 26.6&#xa0;°C for their younger counterparts, with the elderly cohort exhibiting a broader comfort range. Importantly, our results challenge the universal applicability of the PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) model for elderly populations in this region. This study establishes a reference framework for analyzing thermal comfort disparities between elderly and young populations in Southeast Guangxi’s distinctive hot-humid, low-wind climate. The findings provide foundational insights for developing region-specific thermal comfort models for the elderly population and informing the design of age-appropriate HVAC systems in comparable subtropical microclimates.</p>

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Analyzing differences in thermal comfort between young and elderly adults in the hot-humid and low-windy climate of Southeast Guangxi, China

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月13日

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  • Li Wang,
  • Hao Yang,
  • Yuyang Wang,
  • Wei Ye,
  • Jiang He

摘要

Extensive research has established that thermal perception varies significantly across climate zones. However, existing studies predominantly focus on typical climate regions, leaving a critical gap in understanding populations inhabiting unique microclimates such as Southern China’s hot-humid, low-wind environments. This investigation bridges this gap through comprehensive questionnaire surveys and controlled environmental chamber experiments involving 20 elderly and 20 young adult participants (n = 20 per group) from Guangxi. Our findings reveal substantial intergenerational differences in thermal comfort responses within Southeast Guangxi’s distinctive climate. Elderly participants demonstrated greater heat tolerance, evidenced by both physiological indicators (skin temperature, heart rate variability) and psychological metrics (thermal sensation votes, neutral temperature). Specifically, the thermoneutral temperature was determined to be 27.0 °C for elderly subjects compared to 26.6 °C for their younger counterparts, with the elderly cohort exhibiting a broader comfort range. Importantly, our results challenge the universal applicability of the PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) model for elderly populations in this region. This study establishes a reference framework for analyzing thermal comfort disparities between elderly and young populations in Southeast Guangxi’s distinctive hot-humid, low-wind climate. The findings provide foundational insights for developing region-specific thermal comfort models for the elderly population and informing the design of age-appropriate HVAC systems in comparable subtropical microclimates.