To meet the indoor differentiated thermal demands of rural residents in winter, a novel combined floor and Kang heating terminal was proposed. The experimental platform of the combined heating terminal used in this study, was constructed in Shaanxi, China. Five experimental conditions for each of the four cases were investigated during the period January 15-February 21, 2017. Through testing indoor air temperature and surface temperature of the floor and the Kang, and the comparative analysis of energy consumption and radiant temperature asymmetry, a series of results were obtained. The three above-mentioned temperature parameters could not meet the differentiated thermal demands when the floor and Kang heating worked independently and were higher compared to the comfort temperature range excluding the Kang surface in a sleeping state as long as the combined heating performed concurrently. Compared to the above three cases, the alternative operation of the combined heating terminal could efficiently satisfy the differentiated thermal demands. Both the energy consumption and the radiant temperature asymmetry in case 4 were not much high. The obtained test results of the four cases could provide the basis for the combined floor and Kang heating terminal to become an attractive rural heating approach. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.