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SolArch

Design tool for architects familiar with passive solar energy. It includes a thermal performance calculator, a design element checklist, and excel spreadsheets database with useful Solar Architecture parameters (e.g. thermal properties). Version 1.0 is in English and includes some sample data for the UK and Ireland. Screen Shots

Keywords

thermal performance calculation, solar architecture, residential buildings, design checklists

Validation/Testing

N/A

Expertise Required

Familiarity with solar architecture.

Users

Several hundred around the world, primarily in Europe (UK/Ireland).

Audience

Users familiar with solar architecture, e.g. architects / civil engineers, construction industry / building designers, government agencies, technical press and media, public utilities / energy supply industry, professional and trade associations, consultants, university faculty and students.

Input

Thermal performance calculation basic data input - numerical, text, and graphical.

Output

Building thermal performance parameters, graphics, excel spreadsheets:
Daylighting and passive solar design technologies from manufacturer/supplier database; ecological assessment of building materials; embodied energy / energy requirement for manufacturing and/or processing; daylighting checklist; recommended illuminances; address list from manufacturer/supplier database; thermal properties: surface and airspace resistance, materials (conductivity, etc.), radiative properties of materials, typical floor construction U-values, typical roof construction U-values, and typical wall construction U-values; and ventilation technologies from manufacturer/supplier database.

Computer Platform

PC (Windows)

Programming Language

N/A

Strengths

Simple thermal performance calculation, thermal parameter database, manufacturer information.

Weaknesses

Some data specific to UK/Ireland.

Contact

Company:	Kahl Consultants
Address:	PO Box 4284 San Rafael, California 94913-4284 United States
Telephone:	+1 (415) 499-0838
Facsimile:	+1 (415) 499-0833
E-mail:	solarch@kahl.net
Website:	http://www.kahl.net/solarch

Availability

Shareware, free to download from http://www.kahl.net/solarch,