SUNHOUSE: A MICROCOMPUTER PROGRAM TO ESTIMATE CONSERVATION AND SOLAR BENEFITS

摘要

SUNHOUSE is a microcomputer program that estimates space heating, cooling, hot water and appliance energy use for residences on a monthly basis. Improved empirical relationships are incorporated that determine the utilizability of solar and internal heat gains, heat losses to the ground and radiative heat loss to the sky. Data on average temperatures, solar insolation, sky clearness, relative humidity and windspeed are used to make the estimates. The program uses the Barakat-Sander gain load ratio method (1) for determining the utilizability of solar heat from direct gain windows. Unlike the solar load ratio (SLR) method (2), this procedure has the advantage of. Being applicable to low mass buildings which dominate the housing market. A series of correlations based on the method outlined by Shipp (3) is used to more accurately estimate losses from the earth contact portion of the structure. Extensive economic options for analysis and optimization of conservation and solar measures are available. SUNHOUSE gives good agreement with other building energy use microcomputer programs, such as HOTCAN (4), SUNDAY (5) and CIRA (6).