Estimation of Thermal Comfort Parameters of Building Occupants Based on Comfort Index, Predicted Mean Vote and Predicted Percent of Dissatisfied People in the North- West Zone of Nigeria

Thermal comfort varies significantly between individuals and regions depending on factors such as activity level, clothing, space temperature and relative humidity. This study considers the estimation of thermal comfort parameters such as air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, emissivity of space, metabolic rates, and heat transfer coefficients to determine comfort index, predicted mean vote, and predicted percent of dissatisfied people. Several equipment were employed to measure thermal comfort parameters indoor of the buildings considered. Results show that Katsina state recorded the least overall comfort index when compared to the remaining states which was attributed to reduced air temperature and relative humidity recorded. Majority of the buildings considered have high mean radiant temperatures and high space diameters which suggests that occupants in this environment are most likely to experience some sort of discomfort especially during summer. Comparing all the thermal comfort of occupants based on Fanger theory, 33.3% felt hot, 26.7% felt warm, 20% felt slightly warm, 13.33% felt slightly cool, 6.7% felt cool, and 0% felt cold which indicates that occupants in this region and Geopolitical zone contend with more of heat than coldness.