<b>Actual conditions of residents’ cooling behaviors related to visual and auditory sensation and estimation of their effect on energy saving in Japan </b>

Abstract

The article aims to investigate residents' cooling behaviors and to examine the possibilities for reducing thermal discomfort, changing the duration of air-conditioner use, and reducing cooling load through behaviors influencing visual, auditory and other sensation. A questionnaire was administered in Kyoto, Japan during summer 2010. The results indicated that: (a) to cool down, many residents engage in daily cooling behaviors other than using air-conditioners, such as using rugs, sprinkling water, bamboo blinds, and having coolcolored interior elements. In addition, many of these behaviors were negatively correlated with the length of air-conditioner use; (b) cooling behaviors include acts to lower the temperature (e.g., sprinkling water and bamboo blinds) and acts to obtain non-heat-related cooling effects (e.g., using rugs, a cool-colored interior, scents with cooling effects, wind chimes, music with cooling effects); (c) a comparison between the simulated cooling load of four groups (categorized according to the use of bamboo blinds and a cool-colored interior) found that the cooling load of the group using both is about 10% lower than the group using neither.

Categorizing the behavior and values of detached housing residents related to obtaining warmth

“…In addition, the authors have shown in previous reports [25][26][27] that in Kyoto, not only actions to obtain thermal comfort based on the human body heat balance, but also actions to obtain warmth with the expectation of psychological effects such as visual and auditory sensations were implemented. In this study, it was found that not only in Kyoto but also in Hiroshima and Aichi, people performed warmth-seeking actions in anticipation of psychological effects such as visual perception.…”

“…surveyed residents of detached houses in Kyoto City and found that actions conducted to obtain coolness were performed for two purposes: to obtain a thermal effect and to obtain a psychological effect, such as “feeling cool,” “feeling the season,” and “pleasant sound.” Furthermore, we hypothesized that the residents could tolerate a hot environment by feeling a sense of coolness and seasonality from actively engaging in the act of obtaining coolness, thereby increasing their sense of satisfaction and comfort in their homes. Simulation results showed that a lifestyle in which people actively engage in the act of obtaining coolness can result in cooling energy savings of about 8–10% 26 . We 27 also extracted two axes from the residents' consciousness, values, and physical constitution questions, namely, the “degree of emphasis on tradition and sense of seasonality” and the “degree of tolerance/patience related to cold,” and showed that they can be categorized into four groups.…”

“…Simulation results showed that a lifestyle in which people actively engage in the act of obtaining coolness can result in cooling energy savings of about 8-10%. 26 We 27 also extracted two axes from the residents' consciousness, values, and physical constitution questions, namely, the "degree of emphasis on tradition and sense of seasonality" and the "degree of tolerance/patience related to cold," and showed that they can be categorized into four groups. Some of the categorized groups are thought to have a greater tolerance for thermal discomfort for psychological reasons, indicating the possibility of energy-saving living styles that do not rely too heavily on air-conditioning.…”

Motivational decline and proactive response under thermal environmental stress are related to emotion- and problem-focused coping, respectively: Questionnaire construction and fMRI study

“…This is an issue of wellbeing ( Tham, 2004 ; Li et al, 2021 ), due to the decreased physical condition ( Coudevylle et al, 2019 ) and cognitive performance ( Laurent et al, 2018 ), as well as increased mortality ( Huynen et al, 2001 ), related to thermal environmental stress. In addition, this is significant in terms of the growing importance of reducing energy for air conditioning and sustainability ( Fukusaka and Matsubara, 2014 ). On the other hand, it may also contribute to an anthropological understanding of why humans can adapt to a wide range of thermal environments and have become distributed more ubiquitously across the globe than other animal species ( Hanna and Brown, 1983 ; Tochihara et al, 2022 ).…”