Review of Heating Methods for Rural Houses in China

With the continuous development of the social economy, residents living in rural China pay more attention to the heating quality and require a comfortable and healthy indoor thermal environment in winter. The existing traditional heating methods cannot meet the high-quality heating demands. Although the new heating methods based on clean energy can satisfy the needs of residents in terms of energy saving, environmental protection and thermal comfort, they have not been widely used due to their high initial investment, the misunderstanding of principal functions and the perceived difficulty of application. This study firstly summarizes various available heating methods for rural areas from aspects of technical characteristics, environmental friendliness, indoor comfort, and economy. Then it gives advice for government and relevant institutions to increase publicity for new heating methods. It aims to provide a theoretical basis and feasible suggestions for the selection of heating methods for rural residents in China. It also aims to provide theoretical policy making references for the transformation of the original rural heating methods.