ENERGY

BUILDING SCIENCE II
YEAR: III PART: II

C. ENERGY 12 Hrs

1. Concept of Energy –Renewable & non- Renewable Energy

2. Energy situation in the world & Nepal

3. Active methods of energy conversion for Heating, Cooling &

Lighting in a building
3.1 Solar collector, solar water heater, dryer etc.
3.2 PV Cell

4. Passive methods of energy conversion for Heating & Cooling in a

building
4.1 Orientation, planning, color, texture, materials, technology
4.2 Direct, Indirect & Isolated gain
4.2.1 Glazed openings, wall, roof, space etc
4.3 EAT system, wind tower, etc
 4. PASSIVE METHODS OF SOLAR
HEATING & COOLING IN A BUILDING

PASSIVE METHODS
OF HEATING
& COOLING

INDIRECT GAIN ISOLATED GAIN

DIRECT GAIN -WALL -SPACE
- WINDOW
--ROOF - NATURAL LOOP
 PASSIVE METHODS OF SOLAR HEATING & COOLING
• Methods - Collecting, Storing,
Distributing & Controlling thermal
energy by natural principal

• No use - of mechanical device

• Techniques – Orientation,
Planning, Color, Texture,
Vegetation, Water body,
Materials used, Construction
technology

• Design consideration – site

condition, micro climate,
orientation, plan form, building
envelope
 PASSIVE METHODS OF SOLAR
HEATING & COOLING

NATURAL PRINCIPLES:
• Black body absorb max solar
radiation
• White & smooth body reflects
light & heat
• Hot air rises up
• Thermal mass like mud, stone
& water absorb & store heat
for long time
• Good conductor of heat –
metal, CGI sheet
• Bad conductor of heat –air,
wood etc
PASSIVE METHODS OF SOLAR
HEATING & COOLING

• Direct gain

• Indirect gain
Direct Gain

• Isolated gain
PASSIVE METHODS OF SOLAR
HEATING & COOLING
Direct gain
• window

Indirect gain – Thermal storage wall & roof

• Wall – Trombe, water, solar chimney
• Roof – Roof pond, roof trap, roof evaporation

Isolated gain – thermal storage space, convective

loop
• Thermal space- Sunspace/ Solarium/ Greenhouse
• Convective loop – Waterloop/ Airloop/ Thermic diode
(Hybrid system)
Direct gain, Indirect gain & Isolated gain
DIRECT GAIN – THROUGH WINDOW
-Passive heating technique in cold climate
-principle to admit sun light directly
-through south oriented double glazed window
-store heat in thermal storage mass- wall, floor
-In USA, clerestories used in a restaurant
-Temp inside15 C where as -1 C Temp outside
INDIRECT GAIN - Thermal storage wall

• Trombe wall
• Water wall
• Solar chimney

• Wall between glazing &

space
• Prevent direct entry of solar
energy
• First energy absorbed by the
wall
• Then transfer to living space
INDIRECT GAIN- TROMBE WALL
• Invented in 1956 by F.
Trombe in France
• Very thick solid wall
between space &
glass
• Vents at top & bottom
• Thermal storage
mass-
• Concrete, brick, stone,
sand
• South facing
• Black painted surface
absorbs sun light &
heat the surface
• Hot air rises up &
enters to living space
through vent
 INDIRECT GAIN- TROMBE WALL
• During night, heat
storage wall radiate
heat inside
• Temp 15 C inside where
as -11 C outside

• During summer,
overhang cut off
sunlight
• Induced ventilation
system introduced
• Hot air escape through
exhaust vent
• & cool air enters
through opposite vent
INDIRECT GAIN- TROMBE WALL
 INDIRECT GAIN- TROMBE WALL

• Carbondale house in Colorado, USA

• 9” thick dark wall
• Double glazing 4” away
• Sun starts heating at 11am
• Wall starts radiate heat to warm room after 9hrs i e 8
pm
• Reduce conventional energy
• No vents & use for night purpose
INDIRECT GAIN- WATER WALL
• Same principle as Trombe
wall
• Water as thermal mass
• School, college, office –
day time use buildings
benefit more
• From rapid heat transfer
• During summer,
overheating prevented by
movable insulating device
• Black painted drums with
water also used as water
wall
• Placed behind glazing
only during winter
 INDIRECT GAIN - Solar chimney
• Use only in roof
• Consist – glazing,
absorber plate,
insulating board, vents

• Solar radiation absorbed

by black painted
absorber plate
• Heated air rises up &
passes through internal
vent to room

• After heating the room,

cool air passes to
chimney & repeat the
process
• During night, chimney as
buffer space to min heat
loss
 INDIRECT GAIN - Solar chimney
• During summer, induced
ventilation created
• by opening exhaust
upper vent & closing
internal vent

• to escape hot air fastly

• Create vacuum inside

• Fresh air supply from

opening
 ISOLATED GAIN –
Solarium/Greenhouse/sunspace
• Both direct & Indirect
gain system
• Attached to living space
• South orientation
• Glazing, sunspace &
heat storage wall
• Energy direct gain to
sunspace
• Then warm air transfer to
thermal storage wall
• Living space heated by
convection
ISOLATED GAIN –
Solarium/Greenhouse/sunspace  
• Thermal storage wall 200-450
mm thick
• Glazing angle 45- 60

• Rock size dia 5-8 cm

• Thermal wall- rough texture
& black color

• Temp control by movable

insulation during summer
Greenhouse of solar house in Aspen,
Colorado, USA (www.aspencore.org)

Greenhouse

Greenhouse
Radiator – mechanical heating device
ISOLATED GAIN –
Solarium
 Isolated Gain – Green house

Green house in a farm, Jomsom, Nepal

ISOLATED GAIN –Natural Convective
loop
• Solar collector & storage placed
isolated from living space
• I e water or air convective loop
• Solar energy used to heat air or
water

• The warm air or water transfer

heat by circulating to storage
mass
• Require - Collector, Storage
mass & mechanism
• Black painted south sloped
collector

• 20- 40 % of floor area of space

• THERMOSYPHON/
CONVECTIVE LOOP- natural
circulation of heat
ISOLATED GAIN –Natural Convective
loop
Integrated Passive Heating & Cooling system
 INDIRECT GAIN ROOF POND
- Indirect heating & cooling
• water pond over an non-
insulated concrete roof

• temp within the space falls

as ceiling acts as a radiant
cooling panel

• for the space, without

increasing indoor humidity
levels

• limitation only to single

storey structure with flat,
concrete roof
 Roof Pond Cooling

• Both for passive cooling &

heating
• During summer, Movable
insulation protect pond in
day time
• Cool water absorbs heat
from interior
• During night, insulation
removed & water cools by
convection
• Indoor temp 21 C when
outdoor temp > 30 C
 Roof Pond Heating
• During Winter, process
vice versa of summer
period

• Pond absorbs heat from

Sun light

• Warm pond heats interior

• During night, insulation

covers warm water &
heats interior

• Indoor temp 21 C when

outdoor temp <0 C

• Materials – water in black

painted bags, fiber glass
tank, metal tank with
depth 150 -300 mm,
movable insulation 50 mm
polythene foam, fiberglass
Zero Energy House – EAT
system

Schematic of Earth Air Tunnel System in Zero Energy House,

Pulchowk Campus
EARTH AIR TUNNEL (EAT) SYSTEM
• Underground long pipes with
one end connected to house &
other end to outside

• Hot exterior air drawn through

pipes where some of its heat to
the soil,

• which lower temp 4 m below

surface

• cool air introduced into house

• Special problems -
condensation of water within
the pipes or evaporation of
water & control of system
Passive cooling – EAT system

EAT system
Evaporative cooling

• Evaporative cooling - passive &

hybrid

• Passive - use of vegetation for

evapotranspiration

• use of fountains, pools & ponds

- water lower temp in room

• External air introduced into

tower cool by evaporation &
transfer into the building

• Passive indirect evaporative

cooling - roof spray & roof pond
systems
Evaporative
cooling
- passive &
hybrid system
Wind Tower Evaporative Cooling
Convective Cooling
Convective Cooling
Roof spray • surface of roof wet using
sprayers

• heat of the roof converted into

latent heat of vaporization as the
water evaporates

• cools roof surface & causing

cooling of building

• reduction in cooling load - 25%

• problems - adequate availability

of water

• not cost effective, high

maintenance costs & problems
water proofing of roof
Earth-sheltered buildings

• Earth as a thermal mass

• Heating or cooling by
conduction

• underground buildings
offer both cooling &
heating conditions

• building in partial contact

with earth offer
Exposed wall to south interesting cooling or
& North side attached heating possibilities
to hill in Mugu, Nepal
Earth-sheltered buildings

Turf house in Iceland Iceland

Ohio, USA Hotel in Tunisia

PASSIVE COOLING – ROOF SHADING
BY VEGETATION
PASSIVE COOLING - VEGETATION

Graphic courtesy of Greenbuilder.com

Passive Heating & Cooling – Solar water
heater ( Hybrid system)

Water based heating & cooling system on the wall

Passive Solar Heating & Cooling
- Color & Texture
- Rough texture & dull color – Maximize absorbtivity
- Smooth texture & white color - Maximize Reflectivity
Passive Solar Heating & Cooling – water
body
Water body – Natural/
Artificial
• Pond, Lake
• River, Sea
• Fountain, Pool
• Microclimate effect –
cooling environment
• Artificially, fountain/ pool
in interior/ court
• for cooling microclimate
Thank you