Category: Comfort

Funding for California Clean Energy Entrepreneurs: Applications Due December 3, 2023

Funding for California Clean Energy Entrepreneurs: Applications Due December 3, 2023

CBE is one of 30 research testbeds supporting the California Test Bed Initiative, a lab-based commercialization development program for innovators and entrepreneurs working to bring early to mid-stage clean energy concepts to market. CalTestBed will award vouchers worth up to $300,000 to test and validate candidate technologies at one of nearly 30 testbeds across the UC system and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Under this program, CBE has completed voucher-based research for two emerging cleantech companies.

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New Research Team Members Expand CBE’s Scope and Impact

New Research Team Members Expand CBE’s Scope and Impact

In this Centerline we introduce two rising stars from CBE’s research team, Akihisa (Aki) Nomoto and Matt Roberts, the most recent postdoctoral scholars to join our center. Aki’s work reinforces CBE’s leadership on thermal comfort in complex environments based on human physiology. Matt brings to CBE extensive expertise in life-cycle assessment (LCA) methods, and will initially focus on the embodied carbon impacts of MEP systems.

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Arm France Receives 2022 Livable Buildings Award, a First Outside of North America

Arm France Receives 2022 Livable Buildings Award, a First Outside of North America

A technology campus in France has received the Livable Buildings Award for 2022 from UC Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment. This year’s winner, Arm France, is the first award winner outside of North America. The design was developed based on LEED and WELL building standards in order to provide a healthful, flexible and sustainable workplace. This annual award program recognizes excellence in sustainable design and user satisfaction as measured by CBE’s Occupant Survey.

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New Study Throws Cold Water on Widely Accepted Relationship Between Temperature and Work Performance

New Study Throws Cold Water on Widely Accepted Relationship Between Temperature and Work Performance

The results of a new study challenge an industry standard which cited an optimal indoor temperature to improve work performance. The study followed the methods of previous research, but used additional data and rigorous statistical methods. The results found no evidence for a relationship between work performance and temperatures commonly found in offices, and none that should be adopted as an industry recommendation.

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Comfort Hacks for Outdoor Winter Dining

Comfort Hacks for Outdoor Winter Dining

The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the restaurant industry, forcing many beloved institutions to close, while many have pivoting to take-out service and outdoor dining only. While we rally to support our favorite eateries, colder climates present some serious challenges to patio dining. In this Centerline post we borrow ideas from CBE’s experience with prototyping and testing innovative and energy-efficient ways to help people comfortably dine al fresco as we get through a dark and cold pandemic winter.

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An Improved Index for Evaluating ‘Long-Term’ Comfort with Continuous Monitoring

An Improved Index for Evaluating ‘Long-Term’ Comfort with Continuous Monitoring

An international team of researchers led by CBE has devised a new method for evaluating thermal comfort inside buildings over extended periods of time. The new index, one of many created and tested by the team, has been demonstrated to be a significant improvement over existing indices being used in building design and operation.

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New Comfort Classifications Acknowledge Human Variability and Encourage Occupant Control

New Comfort Classifications Acknowledge Human Variability and Encourage Occupant Control

Imagine an ice cream parlor that offers only one flavor of ice cream, one chosen by scientists based on what an ‘average’ person wants. While this idea seems absurd, a similar logic has been used in establishing standards for thermal comfort in buildings. A group of CBE staff, industry partners and others have developed a revision to thermal comfort standards that acknowledges the variability in human comfort preferences.

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Nudging the Adaptive Thermal Comfort Model

Nudging the Adaptive Thermal Comfort Model

Using an extensive trove of thermal comfort research data, CBE’s research team recently published a set of ‘nudges’ to the existing adaptive comfort standards to improve comfort in commercial buildings while potentially reducing energy use. This work updates the landmark study from 1998 by Gail Brager and Richard de Dear on the Adaptive Comfort Model (ACM), which demonstrated that people in naturally ventilated buildings were more comfortable with seasonal temperature variation compared to people in air-conditioned buildings.

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Working From Home During the Covid-19 Crisis: Window Views May Help Emotional States, Productivity and Comfort

Working From Home During the Covid-19 Crisis: Window Views May Help Emotional States, Productivity and Comfort

Millions of people are working at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19, creating stress and impacting our well-being and productivity. Science shows that time spent in nature may improve our health and emotions, however, when we are not able to be in nature physically, we may derive benefits simply by access to windows with views. A study recently published by CBE found that a view from a window has positive impacts on emotion, cognitive performance and thermal comfort.

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New Online Design Tool Enables Accurate Design with Ceiling Fans

New Online Design Tool Enables Accurate Design with Ceiling Fans

CBE recently launched an online tool for designing with ceiling fans, making it easier for designers to create highly energy efficient and comfortable spaces. The tool was created based on years of research that have demonstrated that ceiling fans can keep a person cool while using only a fraction of the energy required by air conditioning.

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