The thermal performance evaluation of a future Chinese low energy apartment within changing climate in ‘hot summer and cold winter’ zone in China

The paper aims to evaluate the thermal performance of a typical Chinese low-energy residential building in ‘Hot Summer and Cold Winter’ zone where two prototypes within a six-storey healthy housing with low-energy standards have been investigated. According to the building simulation study undertaken, prototype 1 has relatively good thermal performance compared to prototype 2. In the study, the low-energy parameters have been taken into consideration for both prototypes as an input, which is defined as an energy efficiency building code in HSCW zone with an insulated construction and a criterion calculating indoor temperatures. The simulation resultshave shown that the existing Chinese low-energy building design standard cannot achieve the thermal comfort requirement introduced bythe ASHREA 55-2004 standard. Furthermore in the study, the adjustment mechanism of occupancy for thermal comfort has been incorporated with the simulation studies. Moreover, the regional thermal sensation measurements have proven that it is important to consider both thermal comfort and low-energy building studies together.