Estimate of outdoor thermal comfort zones for different climatic regions of Iran

This study objective is to estimate high and low thresholds of the outdoor thermal comfort category for different thermal comfort indices in Iran. By using a statistical method that considers foure bioclimatic indices: SET star, PT, PET, and UTCI, the paper estimates their thermal comfort zone to gauge difference in terms of local climate. In this study, 154 stations were selected across the country and daily data period from 1995 to 2014 were considered. The results show that the estimated thermal comfort zones for the indices studied for Iran are: SET star, from 20.5 (BWh or Hot desert climate) to 25.5 degrees C (BSh or Hot semi-arid climate); PT, from 15.9 (Cfa or Humid subtropical climate) to 19.1 degrees C (Aw or Tropical wet and dry); PET, from 18.9 (BWh) to 22.5 degrees C (Aw); and UTCI, from 18.5 (BWh) to 25 degrees C (Csb or Warm-summer Mediterranean climate). A comparison between the original thresholds and estimated thresholds of each one of the four indices considered provides an insight to assist the future decision making of outdoor activities planning and design.