A simple monthly calculation procedure for transparently insulated houses

Based on a monthly correlation method for houses with direct solar gains, an extension to the method has been developed, based on the ratio between the additional solar gain through the TI-walls and the heat load for the house with equivalent opaque insulation. This approach seems to be adapted to the question whether one should choose between the alternatives of opaque and transparent insulation for a fixed house design. Using a single zone simulation program for the TI-building with time-steps of 20min or less, a simple correlation function could be determined using a nonlinear fitting function. In order to achieve this, monthly results from 18 house simulation cases with different TI-wall orientation and TI-wall area have been analysed (1). Results for average monthly heat gains and average room temperatures show good agreement. Up to now neither different types of heating systems nor ohter building types have been analysed. However, the methodology is flexible enough to cope with t hese variations in future. For first approximations of the heat demand of a TI-house, the method can be easily programmed as a spread sheet.