A Study of the Influence of Solar Panels Coupled with Thermal Systems for a Residential Building, by Applying Methods of Evaluation as EN 15316-4-3:2014 and TRANSOL☆

Abstract The present study performs calculations for a series of parameters involved in the definition of energy performance of a real residential building, by applying EN15316-4-3:2014 methodology; results are compared with simulations made with TRANSOL, analysing the influence of coupling solar panels with domestic hot water production (DHW) and heating systems. In a first stage, the influence of using solar panels for DHW production is evaluated, and calculations for thermal and electric needed energy are performed. Variation of solar fraction is analised. Secondly, a combi-system (DHW+heating) was considered, and the calculations were performed accordingly, as EN 15316-4-3:2014 describes. The data provided with TRANSOL were compared with the results obtained by applying EN 15316-4-3:2014, and conclusions are extracted. At the end, a parametric study of solar fraction is followed, taking into account different numbers of solar panels, in both situation, for DHW and DHW & heating coupling systems cases. The critical approximation introduced by EN 15316-4-3 is identified. Values of determined fraction are compared.