A CASE-STUDY ON THE REDUCTION OF ENERGY USE FOR THE HEATING OF BUILDINGS

A computer program was developed and applied to a residential building in Shiraz, Iran. The building data were fed into the computer program, and calculated heating loads were compared with experimental data taken from this building. Ensuring that the developed software represented the main characteristics of the building, the effect of building orientation on reducing heating load was examined quantitatively. The load corresponding to the present residential building's orientation was compared with that of a South-facing orientation where the radiation through the vertical windows is minimum in summer and maximum in winter. It was found that the present orientation which is South-west, and is common for most buildings in Iran, requires 7% more energy for heating load than those constructed facing South.