This work deals with the architectural and constructional challenge of a domestic water heater (DWH) to be attached to a vertical facade exposed to solar radiation, preferably the western or northwestern (southwestern for the Northern Hemisphere) facades of tall buildings. The novelty of this device is to make use of insolation on tall facades and the hydraulic potential available in tall buildings to install individual units along the height. Those units consist of a set of collector-tanks that can be attached directly to the bathroom walls at each storage site. The advantages of the facade domestic water heater (FDWH) are that (1) it heats water during the afternoon, (2) the water is heated locally and next to the user, (3) it absorbs part of the excess afternoon heat during the summer, and (4) it is an alternative for a roof central solar collector. This solution is attractive to cities such as Curitiba, which decided to expand linearly along the axes northeast-southwest and east-west. Aesthetics and heat needs are presented and discussed. Three architectural solutions are also presented and discussed.

Authors: Marcelo R. Errera, Ph.D.; Aloisio L. Schmid, Dr.-Ing.; Patricia B. Errera

Citation: Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Buildings VIII

Keywords: December, Florida, 2001