Using Calibrated Simulation to Quantify the Energy Savings From Residential Passive Solar Design in Canada

Energy savings from passive solar design applied to a typical Canadian house were quantified using calibrated whole building energy simulation. A detailed energy simulation model was created for a research house which represents a typical Canadian tract house with basic passive solar measures. The model was calibrated to measured furnace gas consumption data. Eight design scenarios were evaluated for eight climate locations. Design parameters included increased thermal mass, increased south window area, and high performance windows. In addition, an advanced house scenario was evaluated which featured optimized geometry, a further increase in south window area, high thermal mass, advanced glazing, and no north facing windows. For the typical house predicted solar heating fractions ranged from 20% to 34% with basic passive solar measures, and 35% to 52% for more aggressive passive solar measures. For the advanced house predicted solar fractions ranged from 40% to 69%.