Modelling of Thermal Characteristics of Insulated Mass in Zero-heating Passive Solar Houses: Part 1—Theoretical Analysis

Abstract A theoretical analysis pertinent to thermal characteristics of insulated mass construction in passive solar houses in heating dominated climates is presented in this paper. Since the only form of energy used for space heating is transmitted solar energy, these buildings are known as zero-heating. The use of frequency domain techniques is exploited for the analysis. The main inputs—transmitted solar radiation and ambient temperature—are, in general, periodic in nature for both diurnal and annual conditions. The method is therefore more attractive than the other numerical methods used for solving thermal dynamic equations especially for qualitative assessment of indoor air temperature swings. Thermal dynamics of the mass are modelled using a discrete lumped-parameter model. This paper treats the theoretical and mathematical analyses in depth. The empirical results from the analysis together with a comparison of the results from the other methods for zero-heating houses will be presented in a second paper.