The Characteristics of Thermal Environment and Comfort of Residential Buildings During Winter in hot Summer and Cold Winter Climate Zone of China

Abstract

In order to study the characteristics of thermal environment and comfort of residential buildings during winter in hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) climate zone of China, this study conducted a questionnaire survey and field test. It was found that 70.9% of residential buildings in HSCW climate zone had space heating equipment, among that the percentage of air conditioning, electric equipment (electric oil-filled radiator and fan heater) and other were 56.0%, 27.6% and 16.4%, respectively. Furthermore, 77.3% (48.7%) of residents only heat their bedrooms (living rooms), and 76.5% of residents heat their rooms only in cold weather, which shows the “part-space” and “part-time” space heating characteristics in HSCW climate zone. For rooms with space heating, the thermal environment is category I in general, but more than 30% of these residents hope a higher indoor temperature. For rooms without space heating, the indoor temperature is below the hygiene limit of 12°C, which belongs to category II, but thermal feeling for 55% of residents is cold and 90.9% of residents hope a warmer indoor environment. The results indicated that the existing evaluation criteria in HSCW climate zone are inconsistent with the thermal sensation and expectation, and an advanced evaluation criterion is needed.