Effect of annual solar radiation on simple façade, double-skin facade and double-skin facade filled with phase change materials for saving energy

Abstract

This article examines the use of different facades in a high-rise building office for cities of Jeddah, Abha, and Tabuk in accordance with different climate patterns in Saudi Arabia. For this purpose, simple facades, double-skin facade (DSF), and DSF filled with PCM are analyzed in different months of the year. Design builder software is used to analyze the heat transfer processes governing the building. The results of this analysis show that the use of a DSF with PCM in Jeddah reduces the amount of energy required by 11.5% in the cold months of the year and by 5.6% in the warm months of the year compared to the simple facade. Using a simple DSF in the city of Abha reduces the amount of energy required by 20% in the cold months, but increases it by 14.5% in the warm months compared to the simple facade. Using a DSF with PCM in cold regions is much less effective than in the tropics. In Tabuk city, using a simple DSF and double-skin one with PCM reduces the required heating energy by 18% and 40%, respectively, increases the required cooling energy by 5%, and reduces it by 25% compared to a simple facade.