Evaluation of energy recovery of multiple skin facades: The approach of DIGITHON

Using of Double Skin Facade (DSF) became a very demanding trend in most kind of buildings, since it provides natural light, creates a connection between indoor inhabitants and the external environment without getting affected by harsh weather conditions. The verification of the balance equations to be used in a dynamic simulation software and the assessment of the active double-skin facade thermal performance in terms of energy recovery savings are the two main items of this study. For this purpose the software DIGITHON has been used. By comparing measured data of exit air temperature from a certain facade with calculated results, validation has been attained to use it in terms of buildings integrated with DSF.Highlighting benefits of using facade as a thermal energy recovery item during heating seasons on HVAC system is presented with respect to four European climatic zones for each orientation. Average pre-heat efficiency has been studied and illustrated on a seasonal scale. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.