Thermal performance of a solarium with removable insulation

Abstract A thermal model for a solarium with removable insulation has been developed; the air inside the house is assumed to be at constant temperature corresponding to air conditioning). The model enables the evaluation of the temperature of the air in the sunspace and the thermal flux through the south wall into the house as a function of time, from the hourly variation of solar insolation and atmospheric temperature. The effect of various parameters, like the thickness of the thermal wall, its area and the presence of an isothermal mass, on the temperature of zone 1 and the heat flux through the thermal wall into zone 2 has been investigated.