Book - School of Science and Technology

Solar heat gains 69Primary energy, GJ/annumA B C DFigure 3.2 Primary energy consumptionThe last three of the influences listed above are not altogether in the hands of thedesigners of the building. Commissioning and testing of plant is a matter of increasingimportance, as components become more sophisticated, more `packaged' and thus lesssusceptible to any level of repair. All too often, however, the contract period planned forthese activities is curtailed due to over-run by the more barbaric building disciplines. Itseems that little recognition is given to the fact that, although systems in any one buildingmay be made up of standard production line components, the combination is a prototypein every case.As to operational routines and maintenance, these are often given a low priority bybuilding owners but this culpable neglect may result from the absence of a simple wellillustrated`driver's handbook' aimed at Joe who used to stoke the old boiler. While theappointment of a specialist maintenance contractor may be recommended in instanceswhere the building owner has no `in-house' technicians in this field, that does not excusethe absence of adequate manuals.Solar heat gainsIt has already been stated that the most significant heat gain for the majority of modernbuildings, although not always the greatest in terms of magnitude, is that from the sun. Tounderstand the manner in which the sun has an influence upon a building, it is firstnecessary to have some appreciation of the principles of solar geometry.Sun path diagramsTables providing values for the altitude (height as an angle above the horizon) andazimuth (compass bearing measured clockwise from the north) of the sun appear in theGuide Section A2 for latitudes 0±55 and one date in each month of the year. This