Geopolitical, health and economic events have led to an accumulated surge in energy prices in the UK at the beginning of the 2020s. In response, studies and media reports show that households have had to reduce the running of their heating systems to cut their energy bills. However, there is limited research on the impact of this context on indoor thermal conditions and occupants’ ability to meet their thermal comfort needs. This study aimed to address this research gap. It employed the mixed-method research methodology and used nine homes in Plymouth as case studies. Undertaken research work involved monitoring indoor air temperatures for two months, January and February 2023. In parallel, a thermal comfort survey and interviews were undertaken with the residents of the examined cases. Results show that six of the nine examined households were unable to run their heating systems to warm their homes. In four cases, the average hourly air temperatures ranged between 11 and 16 °C, which is below the British Standard’s recommended temperature of 18 °C for comfortable and healthy domestic spaces. Some participants decreased their energy consumption by 27 % compared to the previous year, utilising behavioural measures to compensate for reduced heating usage and maintain a level of thermal comfort. Affected by their indoor environments, participants reported different comfort thresholds with average comfortable air temperature ranging between 12 and 20 °C. The findings of this research demonstrate the impact of energy prices on occupants’ energy usage and their ability to manage cold environments while preserving their thermal comfort.

中文翻译：

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2023 年冬季能源危机对英国房屋室内温度和热舒适度的影响


地缘政治、健康和经济事件导致英国能源价格在 2020 年代初期累计飙升。作为回应，研究和媒体报道表明，家庭不得不减少供暖系统的运行以削减能源费用。然而，关于这种情况对室内热条件和居住者满足其热舒适需求的能力的影响的研究有限。本研究旨在弥补这一研究空白。它采用混合方法研究方法，并使用普利茅斯的九个住宅作为案例研究。开展的研究工作包括监测 2023 年 1 月和 2 月两个月的室内空气温度。同时，对受检查案例的居民进行了热舒适度调查和访谈。结果显示，九个接受检查的家庭中有六个无法运行供暖系统来为房屋供暖。在四个案例中，每小时平均气温在 11 至 16 °C 之间，低于英国标准建议的舒适健康家庭空间温度 18 °C。与上一年相比，一些参与者的能源消耗减少了 27%，利用行为措施来补偿减少的供暖使用量并保持一定的热舒适度。受室内环境影响，参与者报告了不同的舒适阈值，平均舒适空气温度在 12 至 20 °C 之间。这项研究的结果证明了能源价格对居住者的能源使用及其在保持热舒适性的同时管理寒冷环境的能力的影响。