Passive solar sunspace in a Tibetan buddhist house in Gannan cold areas: Sensitivity analysis

Abstract

Attached sunspace is an effective energy system of passive solar energy utilization, which has been extensively employed in many nations. This study investigated, tested, and analyzed a representative Tibetan Buddhist house with attached sunspace in Gannan. The thermal comfort of the building was evaluated. The influence of building orientation, depth of sunspace, glazing type, insulation type and thickness of external wall and roof, thickness of wall and roof on thermal comfort and energy consumption were ranked by sensitivity analysis and numerical simulation. Local sensitivity analysis was also performed on the components with high sensitivity, and suggestions were provided for the design of attached solar houses in this area. The results show that the most relevant parameters of thermal comfort and energy consumption are roof insulation thickness and roof thickness. The optimum thickness of rammed earth is 1.1–1.2 m, and the design range of thermal insulation thickness is 10–90 mm, of which 10–40 mm is the best. At the same time, the best orientation of the attached sunspace is south, and the glazing type has a little effect on thermal comfort and limited impact on energy consumption.