Health Benefits and Costs of Clean Heating Renovation: An Integrated Assessment in a Major Chinese City

Abstract

China has been promoting one of the world’s largest campaigns for clean heating renovation since 2017. Here, we present an integrated cost–benefit analysis in a major prefecture-level city by combining a large-scale household energy survey and PM2.5 exposure measurement, high-resolution chemical transport simulation, and health impact assessment. We find that the completed renovation decreases the share of solid fuels in the heating energy mix from 96 to 6% and achieves a concomitant reduction of cooking solid-fuel use by 70%. The completed renovation decreases the ambient PM2.5 concentration in Linfen by 0.5–5 μg m–3 (2.4 μg m–3 on average) and decreases the integrated PM2.5 exposure by 4.2 (3.5–5.0) μg m–3. The renovation is estimated to avoid 162 (125–225) and 328 (254–457) premature deaths annually based on two health impact assessment methods. The ratios of monetized health benefits to cost are 1.51 (0.73–2.59) and 3.06 (1.49–5.23) based on the above two methods. The benefit-to-cost ratio is projected to remain high if the renovation is further expanded. More polluted and less wealthy households enjoy larger health benefits but also experience a higher expense increase, suggesting that a more carefully designed subsidy policy is needed to protect low-income households.

Effect of Different Combustion Processes on Atmospheric Nitrous Acid Formation Mechanisms: A Winter Comparative Observation in Urban, Suburban and Rural Areas of the North China Plain

“…It implies that coal combustion plays a dominant role in air pollution in rural and even suburban areas. 51 HONO concentration reaches 10.89 and 9.75 ppb at the DBT and XH sites, respectively, which are about twice that at the BJ site.…”

“…PM 2.5 concentration reaches more than 300 μg m –3 at nighttime with obvious CO and NO peaks at the DBT and XH sites. It implies that coal combustion plays a dominant role in air pollution in rural and even suburban areas . HONO concentration reaches 10.89 and 9.75 ppb at the DBT and XH sites, respectively, which are about twice that at the BJ site.…”

“…It is reported that the forced vital respiratory capacity could considerably decrease during the HONO exposure episode . Therefore, substantial particles and HONO emitted from combustion processes, in particular, coal consumption for heating and cooking through household stoves in rural and suburban areas, is extremely harmful to human health . Additionally, great amounts of NOx and HONO synchronously generated by combustion processes could further react with ambient aliphatic amines to form nitrosamines, which are a serious carcinogen .…”

“…56 Therefore, substantial particles and HONO emitted from combustion processes, in particular, coal consumption for heating and cooking through household stoves in rural and suburban areas, is extremely harmful to human health. 51 Additionally, great amounts of NOx and HONO synchronously generated by combustion processes could further react with ambient aliphatic amines to form nitrosamines, which are a serious carcinogen. 57 Therefore, health risks caused by combustion processes should be taken seriously.…”

Variations of Personal Exposure to Particulate Nitrated Phenols from Heating Energy Renovation in China: The First Assessment on Associated Toxicological Impacts with Particle Size Distributions

“…For example, a study conducted in a rural region of Northern China showed that 60% of clean energy substitution (electricity or natural gas) remarkably reduced the indoor PM 2.5 concentration from 209 to 125 μg/m 3 . 30 In addition, the completed clean renovation with natural gas or electricity was assumed to reduce the level of personal exposure (PE) to PM 2.5 by 4.2 μg/m 3 in Linfen 31 and predictably prevented 130,000 premature deaths related to exposure to solid fuel emissions in China. 32 For some remote rural areas with insufficient network load, disperse distribution of inhabitation, inadequate source of nature gas, or low economic level, it is difficult to replace the traditional solid fuels with natural gas or electricity in a short time.…”