Solar load ratio method applied to commercial building active solar system sizing

The hourly simulation procedure is the DOE-2 building energy analysis computer program. It is capable of calculating the loads and of simulating various control strategies in detail for both residential and commercial buildings and yet is computationally efficient enough to be used for extensive parametric studies. In addition, to a Building Service Hot Water (BSHW) System and a combined space heating and hot water system using liquid collectors for a commercial building analyzed previously, a space heating system using an air collector is analyzed. A series of runs is made for systems using evacuated tube collectors for comparison to flat-plate collectors, and the effects of additional system design parameters are investigated. Also, the generic collector types are characterized by standard efficiency curves, rather than by detailed collector specifications. (MHR)