Effects of double glazing, black wall, black carpeted floor and insulation on thermal performance of solar-glazed balconies

•Thermal efficiency of glazed balcony was examined considering different parameters.•The effect of heat retention of insulation on the energy saving was evaluated.•Inside temperature was increased with ability of black surface to absorb radiation.•Thermal efficiency of balcony was enhanced by 42.8% using recommended applications. This research was conducted to evaluate energy saving and the thermal efficiency in glazed balconies and sunspace areas. The effects of double-glazing, black walls and black carpeted floors, and insulation material on the thermal efficiency of residential balconies in the cold seasons of the year were investigated. For this purpose, the interior sun walls were covered with recycled black-painted papers, and the effect of the applied insulations on the thermal performance of the glazed balcony were investigated. In addition, a model of the glazed balcony was simulated using the ANSYS/Fluent program. By numerically analyzing the simulated model, the temperature distribution inside the balcony and the air velocity due to the natural convection in the domain volume have been visualized. It was found that the maximum thermal efficiency was achieved as 42.8 % for the case where double-glazing has been applied and walls are insulated and covered with recycled black papers. Regarding the differences between the balcony air temperature and the outdoor temperature, the temperature difference was 14 °C for the situation where all insulation measures were taken and effective absorbers were used, while this value was around 9.3 °C in the case of testing only glass window application. As a consequent, by considering larger sunspaces in large buildings such as university faculties, libraries, and offices, this study reveals more research fields to be investigated and using solar energy more efficiently.