Analysis of Passive Solar House to Improve the Indoor Thermal Environment in Winter in Lhasa, China

Abstract

The application of solar heating in winter was studied based on the solar resources in Lhasa area of China. The difference of indoor thermal environment and residents’ thermal sensation vote between the passive solar house and typical Tibetan residential buildings was compared in winter in Lhasa, through the methods of subjective questionnaire and actual test. The results show that the winter indoor thermal environment in passive solar houses is better than that in typical Tibetan residential house. First, the residents’ comfort satisfaction in solar houses was higher than that in typical Tibetan residential houses. Second, the indoor temperature range, which was accepted by more than 80 % of the residents ranged from 11.3 to 22.5 ℃ in passive solar houses, while the range was from 13.6 to 23 ℃ in typical Tibetan residential buildings. Third, the measured winter thermal neutral temperature in passive solar houses was 16.44 ℃, 1 ℃ lower than typical Tibetan residential buildings. At the same time, the temperature in passive solar houses is higher than in the traditional Tibetan residences, but it changes greatly during the day and night. This chapter shows the effectiveness of passive solar houses in improving the indoor thermal comfort by using solar energy in winter in Lhasa. The research findings have an important role in promoting the use of passive solar house or other energy-saving buildings in Lhasa and the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau area.