Study on Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Rural Houses with an Additional Sunroom in Cold Areas—A Case Study of Hebei Province, China

To address the issues of poor thermal performance and high energy consumption in rural dwellings in cold regions of China, this study investigates multi-type energy-efficient retrofitting strategies for rural houses in the Hebei–Tianjin region. By utilizing a two-step cluster analysis method, 458 ru...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xinyu Zhu, Tiantian Duan, Yang Yang, Chaohong Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/13/2343
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849429036332220416
author Xinyu Zhu
Tiantian Duan
Yang Yang
Chaohong Wang
author_facet Xinyu Zhu
Tiantian Duan
Yang Yang
Chaohong Wang
author_sort Xinyu Zhu
collection DOAJ
description To address the issues of poor thermal performance and high energy consumption in rural dwellings in cold regions of China, this study investigates multi-type energy-efficient retrofitting strategies for rural houses in the Hebei–Tianjin region. By utilizing a two-step cluster analysis method, 458 rural dwellings from 32 villages were classified based on household demographics, architectural features, and energy consumption patterns, identifying three typical categories: pre-1980s adobe dwellings, 1980s–1990s brick–wood structures, and post-1990s brick–concrete houses. Tailored sunspace design strategies were proposed through simulation: low-cost plastic film sunspaces for adobe dwellings (dynamic payback period: 2.8 years; net present value: CNY 2343), 10 mm hollow polycarbonate (PC) panels for brick–wood structures (cost–benefit ratio: 1.72), and high-efficiency broken bridge aluminum Low-e sunspaces for brick–concrete houses (annual natural gas savings: 345.24 m<sup>3</sup>). Economic analysis confirmed the feasibility of the selected strategies, with positive net present values and cost–benefit ratios exceeding 1. The findings demonstrate that classification-based retrofitting strategies effectively balance energy-saving benefits with economic costs, providing a scientific hierarchical implementation framework for rural residential energy efficiency improvements in cold regions.
format Article
id doaj-art-4abaddf4ee91425f95d1222d48ea6d9b
institution Kabale University
issn 2075-5309
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Buildings
spelling doaj-art-4abaddf4ee91425f95d1222d48ea6d9b2025-08-20T03:28:29ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-07-011513234310.3390/buildings15132343Study on Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Rural Houses with an Additional Sunroom in Cold Areas—A Case Study of Hebei Province, ChinaXinyu Zhu0Tiantian Duan1Yang Yang2Chaohong Wang3Village and Town Construction Promotion Center of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang 050051, ChinaCollege of Architecture and Art Design, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, ChinaCollege of Architecture and Art Design, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, ChinaCollege of Architecture and Art Design, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, ChinaTo address the issues of poor thermal performance and high energy consumption in rural dwellings in cold regions of China, this study investigates multi-type energy-efficient retrofitting strategies for rural houses in the Hebei–Tianjin region. By utilizing a two-step cluster analysis method, 458 rural dwellings from 32 villages were classified based on household demographics, architectural features, and energy consumption patterns, identifying three typical categories: pre-1980s adobe dwellings, 1980s–1990s brick–wood structures, and post-1990s brick–concrete houses. Tailored sunspace design strategies were proposed through simulation: low-cost plastic film sunspaces for adobe dwellings (dynamic payback period: 2.8 years; net present value: CNY 2343), 10 mm hollow polycarbonate (PC) panels for brick–wood structures (cost–benefit ratio: 1.72), and high-efficiency broken bridge aluminum Low-e sunspaces for brick–concrete houses (annual natural gas savings: 345.24 m<sup>3</sup>). Economic analysis confirmed the feasibility of the selected strategies, with positive net present values and cost–benefit ratios exceeding 1. The findings demonstrate that classification-based retrofitting strategies effectively balance energy-saving benefits with economic costs, providing a scientific hierarchical implementation framework for rural residential energy efficiency improvements in cold regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/13/2343rural housingadditional sunshine roomenergy-saving renovationadaptation mode
spellingShingle Xinyu Zhu
Tiantian Duan
Yang Yang
Chaohong Wang
Study on Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Rural Houses with an Additional Sunroom in Cold Areas—A Case Study of Hebei Province, China
Buildings
rural housing
additional sunshine room
energy-saving renovation
adaptation mode
title Study on Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Rural Houses with an Additional Sunroom in Cold Areas—A Case Study of Hebei Province, China
title_full Study on Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Rural Houses with an Additional Sunroom in Cold Areas—A Case Study of Hebei Province, China
title_fullStr Study on Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Rural Houses with an Additional Sunroom in Cold Areas—A Case Study of Hebei Province, China
title_full_unstemmed Study on Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Rural Houses with an Additional Sunroom in Cold Areas—A Case Study of Hebei Province, China
title_short Study on Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Rural Houses with an Additional Sunroom in Cold Areas—A Case Study of Hebei Province, China
title_sort study on comprehensive benefit evaluation of rural houses with an additional sunroom in cold areas a case study of hebei province china
topic rural housing
additional sunshine room
energy-saving renovation
adaptation mode
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/13/2343
work_keys_str_mv AT xinyuzhu studyoncomprehensivebenefitevaluationofruralhouseswithanadditionalsunroomincoldareasacasestudyofhebeiprovincechina
AT tiantianduan studyoncomprehensivebenefitevaluationofruralhouseswithanadditionalsunroomincoldareasacasestudyofhebeiprovincechina
AT yangyang studyoncomprehensivebenefitevaluationofruralhouseswithanadditionalsunroomincoldareasacasestudyofhebeiprovincechina
AT chaohongwang studyoncomprehensivebenefitevaluationofruralhouseswithanadditionalsunroomincoldareasacasestudyofhebeiprovincechina