Energy-saving effects of yard spaces considering spatiotemporal activity patterns of rural Chinese farm households

Abstract

The space-occupation behavior of rural residents can occur in an “indoor air-conditioned environment” or a “courtyard natural environment.” High-quality outdoor environments can attract residents to spend more time in the outdoor space, thereby reducing the use of indoor space and building energy consumption. Quantifying the complementary effects of indoor and outdoor spaces on the thermal environmental quality is fundamental in detecting the potential of behavioral activities in building energy-saving. This study on Chinese farmhouses and resident space-occupation behavior in nine districts across various climatic zones investigated the typical farmhouse physical models and resident occupancy rates. Indoor temperature and humidity parameters without air conditioning were simulated, and the predicted indoor and outdoor mean thermal sensation votes were measured and compared hourly. The number of hours of indoor space out of comfort zone but yard space in comfort zone were calculated and analyzed. Finally, the air conditioning energy consumption of farmhouses with and without yard spaces was calculated and compared, considering the difference in spatiotemporal behavior in various rural buildings. The results indicated that yard spaces in rural buildings had a complementary effect on thermal comfort environment provision and have the potential to reduce building energy consumption of farmhouses by 7.21%–33.99%.