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Research + Design

Evolving Opportunities for Providing Thermal Comfort

The objective of the paper “Evolving Opportunities for Providing Thermal Comfort” is to encourage new ways of thinking about designing or operating buildings to optimize both comfort and energy performance while hopefully creating more rich and variable environments. The ideas are primarily illustrated with examples of research done by the Center for the Built Environment (CBE) at the University of California, Berkeley.

air conditioner unit

From the Introduction – Providing enriched thermal environments must go conjointly with the critically important goal of reducing the energy use in buildings. It is estimated that buildings contribute 39% of the total US greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions primarily due to their operational energy use, and 80% of that energy use is for heating, cooling, ventilating and lighting. The paper explores the ‘cost of comfort’ in buildings including the implications of the perceptions by the occupants.

Team

Gail Brager, Professor of Architecture, Hui Zhang and Edward Arens, Professor Emeritus of Architecture

Partners & Affiliates

Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley

Additional Information

Gail Brager Speaks with John Hockenberry on the Take Away About America’s Addiction to Air Conditioning

Curbing America’s ‘Addiction’ to Air Conditioning

Contact

Gail Brager

Photo Modal

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230 Bauer Wurster Hall #1820 Berkeley, CA 94720-1820

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© 2025 UC Regents; all rights reserved.