Abstract

Solar energy utilization in buildings is vital because of the increasing demand of energy for heating and cooling. Also, improvements in building structure are needed in order to decrease the heating and cooling demand. In this study, the impact of insulation layer thickness in the solar coverage of two solar heating systems is analyzed energetically and financially. The examined building is a typical Greek Building located in Athens with area 100m². The first heating system combines flat plate collectors with a fan coil system, while the other is an underfloor heating system coupled with flat plate collectors. An auxiliary heater is located in both systems in order to supply extra energy when it is needed. The final results show that 6cm of insulation lead to minimum cost and fan coil system is the less expensive solution. TRNSYS 16 is the simulation tool of the study and gives many features to the users for solar applications in buildings.