Owners of companion animals need to establish a thermal environment that balances energy conservation and thermal comfort for both companion animals and humans. To study the thermal comfort of felines, a simple steady heat balance model was constructed on the basis of the classic two-node model proposed by Gagge et al. and the experimental data by Adams et al. The calculation results by the proposed model agree well with the experimental values by Adams et al. in the range of room temperature (20 – 38℃). The thermal comfort zone of the felines was estimated to be within ±17% of the standard metabolic rate according to the calculated and experimental results. As an application of the proposed model, this study examined the effect of a commercially available pet heater and noted its advantages and drawbacks.

Thermal comfort is important to provide building occupants with a comfortable thermal environment for their well-being in buildings. Thermal comfort can be obtained by various occupant actions such as clothing adjustments, opening/closing of windows, and the use of air conditioners, among others. In this study, to explore the factors affecting the comfort/discomfort of people, we analyzed the cognitive temperature, that was given by the subjects being exposed to thermal environmental conditions in a climate chamber, together with the thermal sensation and overall comfort. The experiment was conducted assuming a winter-like indoor air temperature of 22°C with five relative humidity conditions at 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70%. Altogether, 1216 votes were obtained. The mean cognitive temperature±standard deviation was 21.4± 3.2°C. The result showed that people assumed the range of temperature representing their level of overall thermal perception to be quite wide even under the constant indoor thermal condition with the air temperature at 22°C. The cognitive temperature decreased for 30% and 70% relative humidity, and the cognitive temperature.

In the design stage of an air conditioning and water supply system, it is necessary to calculate the load to determine design equipment capacity. For air conditioning systems, a manual stack-up load calculation method was established, based on which a simulation calculation is used in the actual design work. However the water supply load of the water supply system is not established by manual calculation. Since the water load of a building is often determined by the water usage action of people, we have proposed a water load calculation method that calculates the water supply by manual calculation and stacked calculation based on the water usage action. By using the water load calculation table proposed herein, one can also calculate the hot water supply load and the wastewater reprocessing water load.

In recent years, the earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE) system, which uses the heat capacity of soil to reduce the external air heat load, has attracted attention as an energy-saving system. Such underground systems are often adopted for large-scale buildings such as schools and hospitals. However, because the system has complicated heat transfer properties owing to its external air route, a universal method for predicting its performance in pre-cooling and heating has not yet been established. Furthermore, although various studies on the earth-to-air exchanger system based on actual surveys and numerical analysis are being conducted mainly in Japan, all verifications are limited to some regions, and the effect of different weather conditions on the earth-to-air exchanger system has not been clarified. In this study, we developed an analytical model of the EAHE system and analyzed it using a novel method (high-speed analysis) to predict the long-term system performance. By forecasting the annual performance in pre-cooling and heating as well as the dew condensation properties, we aim to clarify the effect of differences in weather conditions on the EAHE system by implementing annual performance predictions of pre-cooling and heating effects and dew condensation properties. The following results were obtained: (1) It was suggested that the possibility of dew condensation in Kitakyushu is higher than that in Akita City from spring to autumn. On the other hand, it was suggested that the possibility of dew condensation in Akita City is lower than that in Kitakyushu from January to June. (2) The average annual temperature in Akita City as well as the soil temperature were lower than those in Kitakyushu, and the soil temperature was also lower. This suggested that the cooling effect in summer in Akita City may be higher than that in Kitakyushu.