This paper reviewed the development of the idea of human
thermal comfort. Steady-state and field studies were described
chronologically. As the main result of the field studies, three internationally
well-known thermal comfort standards: ASHRAE 55-2010,
EN15251:2007 and ATG were comprehensively presented. In each
standard, database, basic equations, upper and lower boundaries and
reference temperatures were discussed comprehensively. In this
paper, the standards were elaborated in a way to be applicable for
naturally ventilated buildings. Through a case study from the Netherlands,
the standards were compared. The results obtained from the
estimation of thermal comfort for the city of De Bilt showed excellent
agreement with the corresponding literature reviewed. The main
differences between the standards were related to the equations for
the upper and lower limits, reference temperatures, acceptable
temperature ranges and databases.