Investigation of effective parameters the performance of attached sunspace in reducing energy consumption in a residential building: A study in Tabriz, Iran

The global energy crisis necessitates enhancing energy independence for regions and countries by advancing the utilization of renewable energy sources. Solar energy, in particular, offers a sustainable approach to reducing energy consumption in buildings. Solar greenhouses, also known as sunspaces, are crucial passive solar systems in construction that significantly lower the energy demand for air conditioning. This study aims to thermally analyze the performance of a solar greenhouse attached to a residential building. Using DesignBuilder (version 6.1) for simulation, a comprehensive parametric analysis was conducted to evaluate various factors, including depth, glass type, thermal mass, and form, to determine their impact on the overall performance of the integrated solar greenhouse. The findings reveal that a residential building without a solar greenhouse consumes 2968.6 kWh annually for heating and 1809.6 kWh for cooling. Incorporating a basic solar greenhouse (2 m depth, double-glazing glass with argon gas, and 20 cm of thermal mass) results in energy savings of 22.9% for heating and 15.6% for cooling. Furthermore, by simulating various influential parameters, the optimal configuration for the solar greenhouse was identified.