Survey on the Indoor Thermal Environment and Passive Design of Rural Residential Houses in the HSCW Zone of China
Open Access
- 16 November 2019
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Sustainability
- Vol. 11 (22), 6471
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su11226471
Abstract
Despite their high energy consumption, rural residential houses in the hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) zone still have a generally poor indoor thermal environment. The objective of this study was to understand the current status of the indoor thermal environment for rural residential houses in the HSCW zone and analyze its cause in order to develop some strategies for improvement through passive design of the building envelope. Face-to-face questionnaires and interviews, air-tightness testing, and temperature and humidity monitoring were conducted to understand the building envelope, energy consumption, and indoor thermal environment. Then, some passive design strategies were simulated, including the application of functional interior materials such as hygroscopic and phase change materials. An overall passive design for the building envelope can increase the room temperature by 3.6 °C, reduce the indoor relative humidity by 12% in the winter, and reduce the room temperature by 4.4 °C in the summer. In addition, the annual energy-saving rate can reach ~35%.Keywords
Funding Information
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (51778358)
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- Numerical investigation for thermal performance of exterior walls of residential buildings with moisture transfer in hot summer and cold winter zone of ChinaEnergy and Buildings, 2015
- Integrated HVAC and DHW production systems for Zero Energy BuildingsRenewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2014
- Building energy saving potential in Hot Summer and Cold Winter (HSCW) Zone, China—Influence of building energy efficiency standards and implicationsEnergy Policy, 2013
- The effectiveness of retrofitting existing public buildings in face of future climate change in the hot summer cold winter region of ChinaEnergy and Buildings, 2013
- Study on energy saving effect of heat-reflective insulation coating on envelopes in the hot summer and cold winter zoneEnergy and Buildings, 2012
- Assessing the moisture buffering performance of hygroscopic material by using experimental methodJournal of Affective Disorders, 2012
- Analysis of indoor humidity environment in Chinese residential buildingsJournal of Affective Disorders, 2010
- A study on optimum insulation thicknesses of external walls in hot summer and cold winter zone of ChinaApplied Energy, 2009
- Low-energy envelope design of residential building in hot summer and cold winter zone in ChinaEnergy and Buildings, 2008
- A Method For Numerical Characterization Of Indoor Climates By A Biosensor Using A Xerophilic FungusIndoor Air, 1993