Investigation of plans shape and glazing percentage for the energy efficiency of residential buildings

Abstract

The room’s plan shape, the area of the window, and the impact of the materials are significant parameters in determining the thermal needs of buildings. In traditional houses of the hot and dry climate of Iran, the plan shape of the room, the ratio of the window area to the floor area, and the comparison between traditional and prevalent materials have been less studied. This study investigated the thermal performance of seven different models of the plan shape, five different ratios of window area to plan area, and three material structures in a selected room of Yazd City using EnergyPlus software. Seven models have different plan shapes but the same floor area, whose thermal balance process calculations have been performed by the CTF method. The results show that the best thermal comfort conditions for the residents are at the window area to floor area ratio of 12% for the brick buildings and 15% for the buildings with thermal insulation and proposed materials. The lowest cooling and heating needs are obtained in a room with an east-west extension and a length-to-width ratio of about 1.38, which indicates the proper plan shape of the selected room. This research can be considered as a climatic strategy to improve the energy efficiency of residential buildings in Yazd.