GCREEDER 2009, Amman-Jordan, March 31st – April 2nd 2009 1

Influence of Windows on the Energy Balance of Apartment Buildings in

Amman
K. Hassouneh, A. Al-Shboul
Architecture Engineering Department, University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan
A. Salaymeh
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan

The influence of windows on the energy balance of apartment buildings in Amman is investigated by using self developed
simulation software (SDS) based on the ASHRAE tables for solar heat gain calculation and coaling load factor for latitude
32 , where Amman city is located. The calculations of energy saving are made to find out the influence of windows on the
energy balance of apartment buildings in Amman. Also, the present investigation aimed to study the energy performance of
windows of an apartment building in Amman in order to select the most energy efficient windows that can save more energy
and reduce heating load in winter, the percentage of saving energy and saving fuel and money through time.

Variations of type of glazing using eight types of glazing (clear glass, Type A, B, C, D, E, F, and G) are made to find out the
most appropriate type of glazing in each direction. Also the orientation of window is changeable in the main four directions (N,
S, E and W). The area of glazing varies also in different orientation to find the influence of window area on the thermal balance
of the building. The results show that if energy efficient windows are used, the flexibility of choosing the glazed area and
orientation increases.

It has been found that choosing a larger area facing south, east and west can save more energy and decrease heating costs in
winter using certain types of glazing such as glass type A and clear glass, while decreasing the glazing area facing north can
save money and energy. However, it has been found that the energy can be saved in the north direction if glass type B has been
used. In the apartment building, it is found that certain combination of glazing is energy efficient than others. This combination
consists of using large area of glass type A in the east, west and south direction, and glass type B in the north direction or
reducing glazing area as possible in the north direction.

KEYWORDS: Energy-Efficient Windows, Low Energy Houses, Energy Balance in Buildings

Mamlook et al., 2001). The solar energy in Jordan ranges

1. INTRODUCTION between 5-7 kWh/m2 (Jibril, 1999). This corresponds to a
total annual value of 1600-2300 kW/ m2, e.g. (Audi and
Energy is one of the most important factors in wealth Alsaad, 1991), (Alsaad, 1990), (Audi and Alsaad, 1991).
generation, economic growth and social development in all As Amman is located at a latitude of 32˚1' N, it would be
countries. It is very important to think more efficiently useful to determine the solar-irradiance data on a
about energy and new resources of renewable energy; horizontal surface with a tilt angle of 32˚ 1' facing south.
because we don’t have an ultimate energy resource we Energy demand in Jordan has been doubled during the
should start reducing energy consumption and to apply last 20 years, and is expected to continue to develop at the
solar energy in our new designs of buildings. When same rate, or even higher. Hence all recent energy forecast
designing for Low energy houses, construction details scenarios have shown that national energy consumption
should be taken in consideration which are: Walls, Roofs, might double between 2015 and 2020 (MEMR, 2002).
Ground Floor and Windows.
Windows: are important not only to get a nice view but
2. 2. TYPES OF WINDOWS
also to let light into the building and create a comfortable
indoor environment. The design of a low energy house
will seek to capitalize on the solar gain through windows The types of windows which are used in residential
during the winter period, in order to do so, these south buildings can be classified in four types:
facing windows will require an unobstructed view of the Type A: Insulating Glass Unit Composed of: Outer
low winter sun during the middle of the day. Generally Pane: 6mm Clear Glass, Air Space: 12mm, Inner Pane:
windows lose more heat than they gain. A low energy 6mm Clear Glass.
house will have less glazing than an average house. New Type B: Insulating Glass Unit Composed of: Outer
window technologies have increased energy benefits and Pane: 6mm Clear Glass, Air Space: 12mm, Inner Pane:
comfort, and have provided more practical options for 6mm Clear Low-E (Pilkington).
consumers. Type C: Insulating Glass Unit Composed of: Outer
The current tendency in Jordan is to use in future Pane: 6 mm Silverstar Sunstop Neutral 50 (Glastroesch),
various solar energy applications in the over all mix of Air Space: 12mm, Inner pane 6mm Clear Glass.
energy in Jordan, as well as identifying potential areas for Type D: Insulating Glass Unit Composed of: Outer
utilizing future technologies and recommending future Pane: 6 mm Solar E Glass (lkington), Air Space: 12mm,
courses of action to encourage commercial utilization of Inner Pane: 6mm Clear Glass.
solar energy technologies, e.g. (Mohsen and Akash, 1997,

Insert PSN Here

 Place Conference Title, Location, and Dates Here 2

However, the types of windows which are used in The overall heat transfer coefficient "U" values of some
residential and commercial buildings are the following construction components used in the building are listed
below types in addition to the above A-D types: below in Table (1).
Type E: Insulating Glass Unit Composed of: Outer
Pane: 6 mm Blue Tinted (Visteon) Air Space: 12 mm, Table (1): U values of construction components
Inner Pane: 6mm Clear Glass, Inner Pane: 6mm Clear Component "U" value W/m2 °C
Glass Exterior wall 1.8
Type F: Insulating Glass Unit Composed of: Outer Windows 6.7
Pane: 6mm Bronze Tinted (Glaverbel), Air Space: 12mm, Exterior door 3.5
Inner Pane: 6mm Clear Glass Insulation used in exterior 0.9
Type G: Insulating Glass Unit Composed of: Outer walls
Pane: 6mm Grey Tinted (Glaverbel), Air Space: 12mm,
Inner Pane: 6mm Clear Glass
Windows of single pane clear glass were used in the
3. STUDIED CASE building. Horizontal sliding and Bottom hinged windows
are mainly used in this building, Windows which are used
The energy performance of windows for an apartment in this building are listed in Table (2).
building consists of three stories in Amman has been
investigated. The apartment building which is built in Table (2): Types of windows used in the apartment
2006 is located in Amman, Shafa Badran region, near building under consideration
Ferdous Secondary School. It consists of two basements Window Window area Window "U" value
and three floors; each floor consists of three apartments as number (m2) type W/m2 °C
shown in Fig (1). In the first step of calculations, the W1 2.0 ×1.25 Horizontal 6.7
influence of windows on the energy balance of 4*4 m2 Sliding
room in the apartment buildings in Amman has been W2 1.80 ×1.25 Horizontal 6.7
studied. Then, the study has been carried out by making Sliding
variations on the type of glazing, area of glazing, and W3 1.60 ×1.25 Horizontal 6.7
orientation. Self Developed Software (SDS) is used to Sliding
calculate solar heat gain due to fenestration and to define W4 0.60 ×0.75 Bottom 6.7
the influence of the glazing area on the amount of energy Hinged
saving in the building. In the second step, energy saved
due to fenestration of the whole apartment is calculated. In this study one apartment is selected to be
The floor area of the apartment building in the present investigated, it is the eastern apartment which has a short
study is a bout 524.56 m2, and a total area of about length in the south and north direction and the long
3163.24 m2, including an elevator and staircase. Each elevation on the east.
apartment consists of; three bedrooms; living room, guest In the present study, the reference glass type is selected
room, and dinning room, in addition to the kitchen and to be 3mm clear glass with U value of 6.7 W/m2.ºC,
three bath rooms. shading coefficient of 1, solar heat factor is 1 and solar
ground reflectance 0.2. The temperature difference is
assumed to be steady state and an average value of 12 ºC
has been considered for the whole period of winter season.
The operating hours of the heating system are intermittent
from one month to another, but their average value which
is 12 hours in the whole period of cold season is
considered in the calculation. The area of glass varied
from zero to the total area of wall.

4. ENERGY SIMULATIONS
There are different simulation tools available to estimate
the energy efficiency of buildings. Those tools are
classified into two main groups: the first one is the static
model (steady state conditions) which is simplified using
Fig. (1): Typical floor plan simple mathematical methods. The other is dynamic state
conditions that is more advanced and allow conditions to
The building construction consists of typical stone walls, vary over time (Lomas, 1997).
the wall construction consists of stone, concrete, In the present work, a software based on excel program
insulation, concrete blocks, and plaster and the ceiling is has been developed to perform direct heat gain due to solar
also insulated using hollow concrete blocks. radiation. Direct gain is the most common passive solar
building approach, and the south glazing is usually

Insert PSN Here

 GCREEDER 2009, Amman-Jordan, March 31st – April 2nd 2009 3

provides winter solar radiation to the building interior notice that this thermal load is a negative element in
(Ramsey, 2000). The software helps designers to define summer, but it is a positive element in cold weather,
the energy efficiency of windows, and to compare whenever it can be used by the engineer and designer to
different windows without having access to detailed heat the building (Hattar 200).
information about the building but still take into account Amman city is located at 32º N and its climate is that of
the type of building and the type of glazing. eastern Mediterranean region where it is hot and dry in
This program is developed depending on the energy summer and rainy in winter. The average temperature in
equations and the ASHRAE tables of solar heat gain and Amman is 8°C in January, 16°C in April and 28°C in July.
cooling factor of glass in different directions. There are many cases where summer temperatures can go
up to 40°C and winter temperatures can go down below
The load is composed of three types: freezing. The rainy season normally extends from late
• Load due to conduction: It is calculated by the October through March. The Sunshine duration for
following equation Amman is variable during the year as shown in Fig. (2),
Q loss =U*A*ΔT (1) e.g. (Meteorological department, 2007). Fig. (3) shows the
where average temperatures of Amman city during the whole
U: The Overall coefficient of heat transfer (W/m2.°C) year as a function of months. It is clear from the data
A: Area of glass or wall (m2) shown in Fig. (3) that the cold season extends from the
ΔT: Temperature difference (°C) beginning of November month till the end of April month
since the average value of the ambient temperature during
• Load due to solar transmission and radiation theses month is less than 19 °C or 18.3 °C .
SHG= SC*SHGC*CLF*A (2)
where 14
SHG: Maximum heat gain factor (W/m²) 12
SC: Shading coefficient 10
CLF: Cooling load factor 8
A: Area of glass (m2)
6
• Load due to infiltration 4
Qsƒ = (1,250/3,600)*Vƒ*(Ti-To) (3) 2
where:
0
Qsƒ: Heat load due to infiltration (W)
Vƒ : Volumetric flow rate of infiltrated air (m3/h)
Ti: Inside design temperature (°C)
To: Outside design temperature (°C) Month
Vƒ = K*L*(ΔP)2/3 (4)
ΔP = 0.613*(S1*S2*V)2 (5) Fig. (2): Sunshine Duration in Amman
25
The value of the volumetric flow rate of infiltrated air
(m3/h) can be taken from the Eq. (4) or from a certain 20
C
o

table, e.g. [Alsaad and Hammd, 1995]. K is the infiltrated

Temperature

15
air coefficient and the value of K is obtained from a certain
table, e.g. [Alsaad and Hammd, 1995]. L is the crack
10
length (m), ΔP is the pressure difference between the
inside and outside of the room (N/m2), V is the measured 5
wind speed, S1 is a factor which is obtained from a certain Mean Average Temperature
table, e.g. [Alsaad and Hammd, 1995] and it depends on 0
the topography of the location of the building, S2 is a 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
factor obtained from a certain table, e.g. [Alsaad and Month
Hammd, 1995] and it depends on the height of building
Fig. (3): Average mean temperature in Amman
and the terrain of its location.
In order to calculate the influence of windows on the
thermal balance of the apartment buildings, the maximum
5. EFFECT OF GLAZING ON ENERGY heat gain factor in addition to the cooling load factor for
SAVING IN WINTER glass without interior shading are needed and ASHRAE
In summer it is well known that fenestration is a source of tables are required for the calculations.
thermal load that needs to be handled by the cooling air
conditioning system, due to the fact that windows allow Usually, engineers design the heating system in the
for the sun rays to penetrate to the space. It is important to buildings without taking the contribution of the sun in

Insert PSN Here

 Place Conference Title, Location, and Dates Here 4

heating the space. The heating system is designed to heat temperature difference between inside and outside
the space when the sun is “hidden” by the clouds or absent conditions is 12°C and this value represents the average
at night. But practically, the sun is available for many value of the ΔT for the whole period of the cold season.
hours in the day and many days in the heating season. So a This value is also selected by engineering consultants for
good control system makes it possible to get benefit of it Amman city (Hattar, 2007). The wind speed for Amman
whenever it is there. city was taken from the meteorology department (about
2.7 m/s). The operating hours for the heating system
ASHRAE and other national and international during the whole period of the winter (6 months) was
organizations have made their studies, and published selected to be 12 hours. Of course, this value of the
sufficient data for engineers to evaluate the matter, in operating hours can be increased in the cold months such
summer and winter. The sun touches the north façade as December, January and February and it can be
slightly and has not any considerable effect on both decreased in November, March and April. Also, the
heating and cooling systems. The maximum heat gain heating system is usually switched off during night. Self-
factor (SHG) in W/m² depends mainly on the direction of developed software has been used to make the required
glazing. For example, in January the SHG = 76 W/m² for calculations after verifying it.
north window, 552 W/m² for eastern window, 552 W/m²
for western window and 776 W/m² for south direction. It is
clear that the SHG for southern direction has the highest The calculation of fuel consumption for a heating system
value and SHG for north direction has the lowest value. for either short terms or long term operation can be
This value of the maximum solar heat gain factor (SHG) performed using a simple procedure that uses the annual
should be multiplied by a shading coefficient (SC) and the degree- day method to estimate the fuel consumption for
cooling load factor (CLF). The shading coefficient heating systems. This procedure is applied to residential
depends on the type of the glass, for example, the shading and small commercial buildings (Alsaad and Hammad,
coefficient for clear glass is 1.0. The cooling load factor 1995).
(CLF) can be obtained from ASHRAE Tables it can be
considered as an average of 0.6. So, the solar heat gain can Finally, the payback for the cost of glazing can be
be calculated as: calculated by dividing the cost of glass over the amount of
money which can be saved each year in winter season by
Qsolar = SHG*SC*CLF*A glass (6) utilizing the solar energy. The interest rate which is about
10% can be assumed to be similar to the expected yearly
The net solar heat gain for 1 m2 of clear single glass at increase in the diesel cost. Therefore, the payback period
north direction is can be written as:

Qsolar, N = 76.0*1.0*0.6*1.0 = 45.6 W Payback period = Cost of glass /Cost of energy saving

The same procedure is applied for other directions 6. 6. RESULTS

The energy performance of different types of glazing
In order to study the contribution of fenestration on the which are used in Jordanian buildings has been
heating system using different types of glass as well as investigated and the results are summarized below.
different area, a series of calculations for a room of 4*4 m2
have been carried out. The room of the case study for
different glass parameters was assumed to have only one Figures (4)-(8) show the percentage of energy saving or
exposed wall. The percentage of glass area on the wall was energy losses as a function of the glazed area with respect
changed from 0% (no window on the wall) to 100% (the to the wall area for different types of glazing.
wall is completely glass). Also, the orientation of the glass
was changed to cover all wall directions (N, S, W and E). Figure (4) shows the effect of using clear glass on the
Also, the effect of air infiltration has been taken into percentage of energy saving as a function of glazed area
account for the present study. The infiltration term can be for all main directions with and without infiltration. By
neglected in the case that we have a fixed glazed area using energy simulations, it has been found that the clear
instead of a sliding window. An economic study has been glass is very effective in the south, west and east
carried out by calculating the energy saving based on the directions. Also, It is found that the percentage of energy
current oil prices in Jordan and the local cost of glass. saving is increased as the percentage of glazed area in the
exposure wall increases. This relationship between the
In the present calculations, the cold season in Jordan is saving energy and the glazed area is reversed for north
considered to start from the beginning of November month direction. As the glazed area of clear glass in the north
till the end of April month, i.e. 6 months as it was shown direction increases. The negative sign of the energy saving
in Fig. (3). During this period, it was assumed that the in the north direction means that the energy losses are
higher than the energy savings.

Insert PSN Here

 GCREEDER 2009, Amman-Jordan, March 31st – April 2nd 2009 5

[1] A.N. Other, “A Very Interesting Paper”, EPAC’96,

Sitges, June 1996.

References

Insert PSN Here