The Amount of Received Solar Energy
Given the obtained results on energy consumption, thermal comfort and wall transparency, Sample B with the dimensions of a square was found to be the best option for a building plan. As previously pointed out, lighting in a residential building with dimensions similar to the examined samples accounts for 11% of energy consumption. There are minimums and maximums defined for energy consumption in residential buildings by a number of credible institutions for evaluating energy consumption in buildings such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment). In the present study, the amounts of received natural light by the samples were evaluated in a range of 0-100 (Table 4); this parameter depends on items such as the ratio between edges, orientation, and the total areas of openings. Gaining awareness on the amount of received sun light through each opening can be of significant importance in achieving an optimal building pattern.
Table 4.: The lowest value of received solar energy considering the transparency levels of the eight samples (based on IUX).