Develop the thermal comfort survey after determining space programming, designing the mechanical system, and confirming compliance with IEQc7.1. It is best to customize the occupant survey for the building’s planned HVAC systems. Questions may be structured differently depending on whether you are assessing the performance of an evaporative cooling system, an in-floor radiant heating system, or a natural ventilation system.

Develop a survey that addresses measurement of these variables (see below for more details), or contract with a third-party occupant survey service. You can find a sample thermal comfort survey in Appendix E of ASHRAE-55. 

Review the relevant environmental variables defined by ASHRAE 55-2004:

Metabolic rate
Clothing insulation
Air temperature
Radiant temperature
Air Speed and Humidity. 

Review the requirements for survey content and review the requirements for the plan for corrective action. 

It is also helpful for projects attempting this credit to pursue IEQc6.2: Controllability of Systems—Thermal Comfort. When occupants have control of their thermal comfort they tend to be more satisfied. 

This design credit is implemented after the project is complete and the building is occupied. Through design development, the primary concern is to meet the requirements of IEQc7.1 and to include a permanent monitoring system.

This design credit is implemented after the project is complete and the building is occupied. Through design development, the primary concern is to meet the requirements of IEQc7.1. 

Monitoring building systems will help project teams identify areas where the systems are not functioning as designed. Correcting these inefficiencies may provide cost savings that would not otherwise be revealed.

The credit does require inclusion of a permanent building monitoring system, however. This may:

1) contribute to EAc3: Measurement and Verification and IEQc6.2: Controllability of Systems—Thermal Comfort;
2) improve building performance;
and 3) be as simple as providing programmable thermostats in each HVAC zone. The cost of monitoring systems will vary depending on project size and number of spaces to be monitored.

This is generally a low- or no-cost credit in terms of capital costs. There will be some staff time associated with developing and processing survey results.