Thermal Comfort
Yes—it is possible to live in Portugal in a comfortable, efficient, and sustainable home
“that condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment”
(BS EN ISO 7730)
I’ve been focusing my posts about the Passive House standard on its construction and energy efficiency features, as these are grounded in physics and therefore are universally and objectively understood.
The issue of comfort in a Passive House, however, is perhaps the most difficult feature to communicate—precisely because it is a personal and individual experience. It involves environmental factors such as air temperature (both ambient and in contact with the body), radiant temperature (heat emitted by objects warmer than the surrounding air), air velocity (which can contribute to either warming or cooling the body), and relative humidity.
On top of that, there are “personal” factors—clothing (insulation) and metabolic activity—that, together, contribute to an overall state of physical and mental well-being, expressing satisfaction with the thermal environment.
Comfort.
Yes—it is possible to live in Portugal in a comfortable, efficient, and sustainable home.
