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THERMAL SCIENCE
International Scientific Journal
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ANALYSIS OF INDOOR THERMAL ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN THERMAL COMFORT IN RURAL RESIDENCES OF NORTHERN HENAN, CHINA
ABSTRACT
To address inadequate winter indoor thermal comfort in rural areas of northern Henan, China, this study carried out field investigations in a representative village in Jiaozuo. The underlying factors contributing to low indoor temperatures in rural dwellings were analyzed, and neutral temperatures along with acceptable thermal comfort ranges for different age groups were determined based on thermal sensation votes. The results reveal that winter indoor temperatures in older houses are critically low, averaging 5.99°C and 4.09°C, which do not satisfy basic thermal comfort requirements. Both older and newly constructed residences experience substantial heat loss through exterior walls, with interior surface temperatures consistently lower than indoor air temperatures. Furthermore, neutral temperatures and the 90% acceptable thermal comfort ranges increase with age: 14.97°C (13.73-16.11°C) for youth, 15.57°C (14.27-16.86°C) for middle-aged adults, and elderly, 16.70°C (15.30-18.12°C) for the elderly. These findings underscore the importance of integrating age-specific thermal requirements into energy-efficient residential retrofit strategies to improve thermal comfort while reducing heating energy demand, providing a scientific basis for formulating local thermal environment standards and targeted renovation policies for rural housing in Northern Henan.
KEYWORDS
indoor thermal environment, Rural residences, Northern Henan Province, Thermal Sensation Vote, thermal comfort, Thermal adaptability
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2026-03-07
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI251017018Y
CITATION EXPORT: view in browser or download as text file
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© 2026 Society of Thermal Engineers of Serbia. Published by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence