Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Waseda University (Japan), Technical University of Denmark, and The University of Sydney (Australia) have launched a joint research project to develop a next-generation thermal comfort index. The initiative aims to create an index that more accurately reflects individual thermal sensations, with the goal of promoting it as a new international standard.
The project responds to growing demand for indoor environments that support health, comfort, and productivity in the workplace, particularly amid a shrinking working-age population in many regions. While the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) has been the global standard (ISO 7730) since 1984, it is based on statistical averages and does not fully account for individual differences in thermal perception. The new index seeks to address this limitation by incorporating personal attributes alongside environmental variables.
Mitsubishi Electric will lead demonstration experiments at its Net Zero Energy Building Test Facility “SUSTIE”, and develop environmental control systems while collecting experimental data. Waseda University, led by Professor Shinichi Tanabe, will conduct participant surveys and analyze data using the JOS-3 human thermoregulation model and thermal manikins.
Professor Emeritus Bjarne W. Olesen and researchers at the Technical University of Denmark will contribute air conditioning control strategies and analyze data from personal environment control systems. At The University of Sydney, Professor Emeritus Richard de Dear and his team will focus on adaptive thermal comfort and thermal alliesthesia studies.
The collaboration builds on an agreement signed in November 2023 between Mitsubishi Electric and Waseda University to pursue research on sustainability, well-being, and indoor environments. Research outcomes will be shared through academic journals and conferences, with the goal of informing future workplace design and influencing global standards.
