This paper compares the comfort compliance requirements of ASHRAE Standard 170-2013, Ventilation for Healthcare Facilities (S170) to the compliance requirements of ASHRAE Standard 55-2013 Thermal Comfort for Human Occupancy (S55), and proposes recommendations to consolidate the two into a common approach. The body text of S55 is analyzed for requirement categories. Those categories are compared to requirements in S170. In general, S55’s treatment of comfort is more detailed. To allow users to achieve compliance with both standards, the following are recommended:

1. S170 could clarify that designing to its temperature and humidity ranges does not assure compliance to S55.
2. S170 could clarify that thermal comfort requires consideration of all five factors of S55 (air temperature, radiant , humidity, clothing, and metabolic rate.
3. Comfort requirement in S170 should be stated in a ways so as not to exclude radiant effects.
4. Where S170 requires total air movement (above 2-4 ACH), local comfort considerations (e.g. air speed, draft) of S55 could be referenced
5. Any space for which S170 has no requirement could be designed to or operated at temperatures indicated by S55.
6. S170 could clarify which temperature and humidity ranges are imposed for infection prevention, which organisms they are intended to protect against, and what the research basis of those ranges are.