Residential thermal environment in cold climates at high altitudes and building energy use implications

Abstract Field studies of the thermal comfort conditions in residential buildings were conducted in high-latitude regions with sub-atmospheric pressure in China. In the summer study, 33 individuals took part in 25 residential units and 43 individuals in 20 residential units in winter. Both subjective questionnaire survey in terms of thermal sensation votes (TSVs) and objective on-site measurements were carried out. In winter about 68% of the occupants felt slightly cool, cool or cold; only one-quarter of the people felt neutral. The summer situation was much better; 96% indicted comfortable. Results from the TSVs indicated that the neutral temperature for winter and summer was 18.9 °C and 23.3 °C, respectively. The winter neutral temperature was 7.6 °C higher than the mean indoor air temperature of 11.3 °C. Reasons for such large difference were suggested. An adaptive comfort model was developed using linear regression, and the indoor temperature limit was 16.4–29.7 °C based on 90% acceptability. These findings were compared with other field studies and the implications for energy use in buildings were discussed.

[1]  Jiaping Liu,et al.  Development of passive design zones in China using bioclimatic approach , 2006 .

[2]  Wang Haiying,et al.  Experimental study of human thermal sensation under hypobaric conditions in winter clothes , 2010 .

[3]  Geoff Levermore,et al.  A review of the IPCC Assessment Report Four, Part 1: the IPCC process and greenhouse gas emission trends from buildings worldwide , 2008 .

[4]  Guozhong Zheng,et al.  Experimental study on physiological and psychological effects of heat acclimatization in extreme hot , 2011 .

[5]  Michael A. Humphreys,et al.  Field studies of thermal comfort compared and applied , 1976 .

[6]  Xiangfei Kong,et al.  Research on the energy performance and indoor environment quality of typical public buildings in the tropical areas of China , 2012 .

[7]  Michael A. Humphreys,et al.  ADAPTIVE THERMAL COMFORT AND SUSTAINABLE THERMAL STANDARDS FOR BUILDINGS , 2002 .

[8]  K. W. Mui,et al.  Adaptive comfort temperature model of air-conditioned building in Hong Kong , 2003 .

[9]  R. Dedear.  Developing an adaptive model of thermal comfort and preference , 1998 .

[10]  J. F. Nicol,et al.  Understanding the adaptive approach to thermal comfort , 1998 .

[11]  Nianping Li,et al.  A statistical method to investigate national energy consumption in the residential building sector of China , 2008 .

[12]  Francis W.H. Yik,et al.  Energy performance of windows in high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong , 2002 .

[13]  Demetrios J. Moschandreas,et al.  A comparative analysis of urban and rural residential thermal comfort under natural ventilation environment , 2009 .

[14]  John M. Evans,et al.  Evaluating comfort with varying temperatures: a graphic design tool , 2003 .

[15]  Gail Brager,et al.  Developing an adaptive model of thermal comfort and preference , 1998 .

[16]  Nan Zhou,et al.  The reality and future scenarios of commercial building energy consumption in China , 2008 .

[17]  Satoru Kuno,et al.  The effects of hypobaric conditions on man's thermal responses , 1991 .

[18]  Zhaojun Wang,et al.  A field study of the thermal comfort in residential buildings in Harbin , 2006 .

[19]  Gülten Manioğlu,et al.  Economic evaluation of the building envelope and operation period of heating system in terms of thermal comfort , 2006 .

[20]  Michael A. Humphreys,et al.  Outdoor temperatures and comfort indoors , 1978 .

[21]  Ping Jiang,et al.  Overcoming barriers to implementation of carbon reduction strategies in large commercial buildings in China , 2010 .

[22]  Francis W.H. Yik,et al.  Influence of thermal insulation position in building envelope on the space cooling of high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong , 2001 .

[23]  X. Ji,et al.  Predicting thermal comfort in Shanghai's non-air-conditioned buildings , 2006 .

[24]  Qiang Wang,et al.  Situation and outlook of solar energy utilization in Tibet, China , 2009 .

[25]  Liwei Tian,et al.  Field study on occupants’ thermal comfort and residential thermal environment in a hot-humid climate of China , 2007 .

[26]  Liu Yang,et al.  Climate classifications and building energy use implications in China , 2010 .

[27]  Standard Ashrae.  Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy , 1992 .

[28]  J. F. Nicol,et al.  Climatic variations in comfortable temperatures: the Pakistan projects , 1999 .

[29]  K. Cena,et al.  Field study of occupant comfort and office thermal environments in a hot, arid climate , 1999 .

[30]  Hiroshi Yoshino,et al.  Indoor thermal environment of urban residential buildings in China: winter investigation in five major cities , 2004 .

[31]  Chris C.S. Lau,et al.  Climate classification and passive solar design implications in China , 2007 .

[32]  Fred Bauman,et al.  A field study of thermal environments and comfort in office buildings , 1988 .

[33]  E. Halawa,et al.  The adaptive approach to thermal comfort: A critical overview , 2012 .

[34]  T. Muneer,et al.  Solar Radiation and Daylight Models: For the Energy Efficient Design of Buildings , 1997 .

[35]  Jiaping Liu,et al.  Analysis of typical meteorological years in different climates of China , 2007 .

[36]  Susan Roaf,et al.  Pioneering new indoor temperature standards: the Pakistan project , 1996 .

[37]  Songqiao Zhao,et al.  Physical geography of China , 1986 .

[38]  Tianzhen Hong,et al.  A close look at the China Design Standard for Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings , 2009 .

[39]  Hua Chen,et al.  Benchmarking Hong Kong and China energy codes for residential buildings , 2008 .

[40]  Q. Ouyang,et al.  Field study of human thermal comfort and thermal adaptability during the summer and winter in Beijing , 2011 .

[41]  Geoffrey J. D. Hewings,et al.  Evaluation on the impacts of the implementation of civil building energy efficiency standards on Chinese economic system and environment , 2009 .

[42]  R. J. Dear,et al.  Thermal comfort in the humid tropics. Part I. Climate chamber experiments on temperature preferences in Singapore , 1991 .

[43]  Gail Brager,et al.  Thermal comfort in naturally ventilated buildings: revisions to ASHRAE Standard 55 , 2002 .

[44]  N. Diffenbaugh,et al.  Climate change hotspots in the CMIP5 global climate model ensemble , 2012, Climatic Change.

[45]  Richard de Dear,et al.  Field experiments on occupant comfort and office thermal environments in a hot-humid climate , 1994 .

[46]  K. Steemers,et al.  Energy policy and standard for built environment in China , 2005 .