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Here, we will provide a detailed explanation of the three categories of information required for the calculations. This video offers comprehensive explanations and has been prepared to address any ambiguities that may arise from reading the following text.

Geometry picture

Geometry Information

The purpose of this category is to determine the gross floor area and the wall area. Additionally, the window-to-wall ratio is a crucial parameter for calculating the thermal loads and, consequently, estimating the optimal thermal insulation thickness. This model can be applied to various residential buildings in Tehran, regardless of size, whether small or large.
The geometry information is divided into four distinct data points:

  1. A1: The gross floor area of the conditioned zone in the entire building (in square meters).
  2. A2: The external wall area surrounding the residential floors (excluding the exterior walls around the parking floor) (in square meters).
  3. A6: The window-to-wall ratio (as a percentage).
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Material Information

This category focuses on gathering data related to walls, windows, HVAC systems, and thermal insulation. The thermal resistance value of the wall represents the assembly's ability to resist heat transfer between the interior and exterior environments. For windows, the heat transfer coefficient (U-value) measures the rate of heat transmission through the window assembly, while the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) indicates the fraction of incident solar radiation that passes through the assembly. Additionally, the thermal conductivity of the selected insulation material is required. Lastly, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the HVAC system is needed to convert thermal loads into energy usage.
The material information is categorized into six key data points:

  1. R_wall: The R-value measures a material's thermal resistance, expressed in units of m²K/W. This value refers to the thermal resistance of the external wall.
  2. U_glass: The U-value represents the heat transfer rate through a material, expressed in units of W/m²K. This value refers to the thermal transmittance of the entire window assembly.
  3. SHGC: The solar heat gain coefficient measures the fraction of solar radiation passing through a window via reflection, absorption, and transmittance. The SHGC rating ranges between 0 and 1, representing the performance of the entire window assembly.
  4. λ_insulation: The λ-value measures a material's thermal conductivity, expressed in units of W/mK. This value refers to the thermal conductivity of the insulation material.
  5. COP cooling: The coefficient of performance (COP) represents the ratio of cooling power (kW) delivered by the cooling system to the power (kW) consumed by its compressor. This value indicates the efficiency of the cooling system.
  6. COP heating: Similar to COP cooling, this value represents the ratio of heating power (kW) delivered by the heat pump to the power (kW) supplied to its compressor. This value refers to the heating system's efficiency.
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Price Information

The calculation of the optimum thermal insulation thickness is based on the costs of energy and insulation materials. First, users need to specify the types of energy used for the heating and cooling systems, along with the price of each energy source per kWh. Next, they should input the cost of insulation material per 1 cm thickness for every square meter.
The required price-related information is divided into three categories:

  1. Insulation Price: The cost of insulation material per square meter per centimeter of thickness, expressed in your chosen currency.
  2. Gas price: The cost of natural gas per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in your chosen currency.
  3. Electricity price: The cost of electricity per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in your chosen currency.