Full Length ArticleSeasonal variation of thermal sensations in residential buildings in the Hot Summer and Cold Winter zone of China
Introduction
The existing building stock in cities in China’s Hot Summer and Cold Winter (HSCW) climate zone covers some 9 billion m2 of which residential buildings accounted for 66% in 2012 [1]. The HSCW zone has unique climate characteristics, i.e. hot long summers, cold wet winters, a rainy climate with monsoon, and so on, as described in reference [2]. Due to economic growth, there has been a continued and growing demand for the improvement of the indoor thermal environment and consequently the growth of energy demand for both heating and cooling [1], [3]. Such situations have a considerable adverse impact on the nation’s energy reduction target [4].
In residential buildings, besides the building design [5], occupants’ behavioral habits, varieties of thermal sensation and comfort requirements [6] significantly impact on energy consumption. There would be a potential waste of energy [7] to maintain the indoor thermal environment within the thermal comfort thresholds using the thermal comfort standards if there is not a full understanding of the different thermal sensation characteristics in different seasons in free-running buildings. Our previous study in naturally ventilated classrooms demonstrates that occupants’ thermal sensations dynamically respond to the outdoor climate [8]. Because of adaptions to the natural climate using available facilities, occupants have a wider acceptable temperature range in NV (Naturally ventilated) buildings than that in AC (Air-conditioned) buildings [9], [10], [11]. Many studies [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20] also conclude that differences exist in occupants’ thermal sensations between summer and winter, due to the obvious differences in outdoor climates between these two seasons.
China has a diverse climate and consequently is divided into five climate zones for building thermal design purposes [21]. Among the five zones, the HSCW zone has unique climatic characteristics and the residents have diverse adaptations for ensuring thermal comfort [22], [23], [24], [25], [26] in free-running space. This has attracted many scholars to engage in this research. Some previous studies were concentrated in a specific city for year-long study [26], [27], whilst some studies focused on a specific season (e.g. summer) in this area [28], [29]. However, most studies [30], [31], [32], [33] were only conducted during a specific season in one city/province.
The aim of this study is to obtain a sophisticated understanding of residents’ thermal sensations and their dynamic responses to the variation in outdoor climates for different seasons in free-running space. This will provide a fundamental knowledge of the thermal comfort demand for residential buildings in this region. Consequently, a dynamic solution to achieve indoor thermal comfort in residential buildings will possibly be developed to meet the requirements for both thermal comfort and energy efficiency.
Section snippets
Methods
Onsite field measurements and a questionnaire survey have been conducted in this research. Statistical regression methods are used for the analysis of data.
Thermal environments
The monthly thermal environment parameters including air temperature, relative humidity and air velocity all around the year are illustrated in Fig. 2. The twelve months in a year are traditionally divided into four seasons: winter (including December, January and February), spring (including March, April and May), summer (including June, July and August) and autumn (including September, October and November). The environmental parameters of the survey are summarized in Table 2. It can be seen
Variation of thermal sensation between spring and autumn
There is strong evidence that thermal sensations vary in different seasons. There are several possible reasons to explain the difference of thermal sensation between spring and autumn. The thermal environments in real buildings are dynamic ones (i.e. not steady-state). It is complex to predict occupants’ thermal sensations by physical parameters in dynamic environments [42], [43], [44], [45], [46], especially considering their adaptation to the dynamic thermal environment in real buildings [47].
Conclusions
This paper presents research into thermal sensation variation according to the changing of seasons based on the data collected in 505 free-running mode residential buildings involving 11,524 subjects in six cities in the HSCW Zone in China. A significant difference of human thermal adaption at different seasons has been demonstrated. The main conclusions are drawn as follows:
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Behavioral responses show variety in different seasons.
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Air temperature is found to be the most significant driver to
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 51561135002) and the International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (No.2014DFA62970), and the Graduate Scientific Research and Innovation Foundation of Chongqing, China (No. CYS16006), and the 111 Project (No.B13041) for their financial support.
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