Children’s Thermal Comfort in School Classrooms: Influence of Contextual Factors, Thermal Experience, and Diurnal Variations

This study compared thermal comfort perceptions of Swedish schoolchildren with previous UK findings using a consistent field survey method. In Sweden, 2116 questionnaires were collected from about 160 children aged 9–11 during both heating and non-heating seasons. Results confirmed that children’s comfort temperatures were lower than predicted by the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and adaptive comfort models, aligning with earlier findings. Swedish children demonstrated greater adaptability than their UK peers; for instance, a unit change in thermal sensation during the non-heating season corresponded to a 5 °C change in operative temperature. Additionally, children reported feeling warmer in the afternoon at the same temperature, with a stronger preference for cooler environments, despite no changes in clothing insulation. The study highlights the significant role of contextual factors—like climate, school policies, and cultural differences—in shaping children’s thermal comfort responses. It highlights the limitations of adult-based models for predicting children’s comfort and stresses the need for context-specific guidelines. Despite differing contexts, the findings consistently show that children are highly adaptive and generally prefer cooler environments compared to adults.