Thermal responses of the elderly in naturally ventilated dwelling houses during winter in rural Xi’an, China

School of Mechanics, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710129, China

^* Corresponding author: wxzheng@nwpu.edu.cn (W. Zheng)

Abstract

A well-designed indoor thermal environment in winter not only meets the thermal comfort demands of the elderly, but also reduces their health risks. However, the thermal performance of residential buildings for the elderly in rural Xi’an, China, is poor, with no central heating system, and the quality of the thermal environment needs to be improved. Due to the lack of thermal comfort benchmarks that meet the thermal preferences of the elderly in rural areas, this study will address this issue through conducting a field investigation. 161 elderly people from 8 villages volunteered to participate in the survey. A clothing regulation model was established, which found that the sensitivity of the thermal resistance of their clothing to temperature changes was low. Additionally, a thermal sensation model was established, and the neutral temperature was calculated to be 11.3°C. The 80% and 90% acceptable lower limits were calculated to be 6.5°C and 8.2°C, respectively. When the indoor operative temperature was lower than 11.3°C (neutral temperature), an average of 78% of the elderly expected a slightly warmer environment, and when it was higher than 11.3°C, an average of 72% expected no change. The results of the study can be used as a basis for the design and improvement of the thermal environment of rural elderly living in cold regions of China.