Abstract:

To understand the current pollution situation of raw coal burning for heating and problems of clean energy heating in typical rural areas in northern China, this study conducted a large-scale field research and testing. The field testing show that: due to the residents’ habits and poor combustion conditions, the pollutant emission factors of coal-fired stoves are much higher than industrial boilers and power plants. The indoor air pollution can not be ignored. The average indoor CO concentration of radiative stoves and water-pipe stoves is 8.05 and 7.41 mg/m³; the average indoor PM_2.5 concentration is 291 and 264 μg/m³, which are 10 times more than 25 μg/m³, the concentration guidance value proposed by WHO. The research results suggest that: the rural residents mainly use raw coal burning for heating at present, the residents’ intention for clean heating is affected by the household income and actual operating costs of clean heating. The proportion of the willingness to use clean energy heating increases from 33% to 52% with the household annual income increasing from less than 10,000RMB to more than 50,000RMB. 86% of respondents said that they would only use clean energy for heating if the government offers subsidies. At present, the promotion of clean heating needs to adapt to local conditions, step by step, and cooperates with energy saving revolution of buildings to achieve better results.

Key words: Clean Energy Heating, Survey and Field Test, Indoor Air Pollution, Northern Rural Areas, Problems and Suggestions