Minimization of indoor temperatures and total solar insolation by optimizing the building orientation in hot climate

Abstract

In order to reduce the energy load, understanding the overall architectural design features and optimizing building orientation are important. They are guided by natural elements like sunlight and its intensity, direction of the wind, seasons of the year and temperature variations. The main aim of presented analysis is to give solutions for architects to design standard and low energy buildings in a proper way. The orientation effect of a non-air-conditioned building on its thermal performance has been analyzed in terms of direct solar gain and temperature index for hot-dry climates. This paper aims at introducing an improved methodology for the dynamic modeling of buildings by the thermal nodal method. The study is carried out using computer simulation. This study examines also the effect of geometric shapes on the total solar insolation received by a real building. As a result, the influence of orientation changing depends on the floors and exterior walls construction materials, the insulation levels and application of the inseparable rules of the bioclimatic design. Solar radiation is the most major contributor to heat gain in buildings.