A Comparison of the Environmental Performance of Cooling and Heating among Different Household Types in China’s Hot Summer–Cold Winter Zone

Abstract

Cooling and heating consume a large amount of energy during the operation of residential buildings in the hot summer–cold winter zone. It causes serious ecological damage and negatively affects natural resources. Occupant usage behaviors of cooling and heating systems are driven by various factors, and correlations between the driving factors and corresponding environmental impacts (EIs) are not well quantified. This study focuses on two occupant-related driving factors: household size and age composition, and combines a questionnaire survey, an energy simulation, and an EIs assessment into an integrated model. A case study is conducted in Jiangsu, China, to demonstrate the model. Nearly 1800 samples are collected from a large sample questionnaire survey and then classified into nine household types according to their household sizes and age compositions. The EIs due to cooling and heating of different household types in a typical year are then assessed and compared. The assessment results show that different household types have various environmental performance. Households with larger size, elderly people, and children have higher EIs. This newly established model is applicable and builds a bridge between driving factors and the environmental performance of cooling and heating. These assessment results will help better understand the role of household type.