A model for managing and evaluating solar radiation for indoor thermal comfort

Thermal comfort of people occupying indoor spaces depends, to a large extent, on the direct component of solar radiation incident on the human body. In turn, even the diffuse component of the solar radiation could affect the thermal sensations of people. Despite this evidence, at the present there is a lack in the availability of simple and reliable methods capable of taking into account the influence of the solar radiation on thermal balance in the human body. In this work a comprehensive method is presented for the computation of the mean radiant temperature of people in thermal moderate indoor environments in the presence of solar radiation. The effects produced on the amount of solar radiation entering rooms in the presence of shadowing devices are also analysed. Finally, an application of the method is provided for a non-parallelepiped room equipped with a south window: results are shown in terms of the mean radiant temperature. A simple evaluation of thermal comfort conditions, referring to the present international standards, is also provided. The model can be easily linked to the computerized methods for analyzing the thermal behaviour of buildings, and is intended as a support for the thermal comfort evaluation methods. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.