A minimal energy demand should be required in buildings both to optimize the performance of the building façade and to control solar gains. According to the existing studies and national standards, the climate zone classification is usually based on both the degree-days methodology and outdated climate data, thus managing HVAC systems inappropriately or leading to users’ thermal discomfort in indoor spaces. To evaluate the current limitations and to characterize solar gains in the Spanish building stock, an innovative approach is presented. For this purpose, seven clustering algorithms were implemented by distinguishing between winter and summer seasons during the calculation procedures. Solar irradiation from 8,948 locations in Spain were used. Likewise, the control of solar gains was analysed with the regulatory approach of Spain and with those developed through the study. The results of this research revealed that climate zones set by the Spanish Technical Building Code could imply to use values of monthly accumulated solar irradiation with discrepancies between 43.17 and 84.41 kWh/m², compared to the real values. Hence, an accurate method focused on k-means clustering should be adopted. Furthermore, the results can be used for a more accurate analysis of solar control and improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

建筑物应要求最低的能源需求，以优化建筑物立面的性能并控制太阳能增益。根据现有研究和国家标准，气候带分类通常基于度日方法和过时的气候数据，从而导致 HVAC 系统管理不当或导致用户在室内空间产生热不适。为了评估当前的局限性并表征西班牙建筑存量中的太阳能收益，提出了一种创新方法。为此，通过在计算过程中区分冬季和夏季，实施了七种聚类算法。使用了来自西班牙 8,948 个地点的太阳辐射。同样地，使用西班牙的监管方法和通过研究开发的方法分析了对太阳能收益的控制。这项研究的结果表明，西班牙技术建筑规范设定的气候区可能意味着使用每月累积太阳辐射的值，差异在 43.17 和 84.41 kWh/m 之间²、与实际值相比。因此，应该采用一种专注于 k 均值聚类的准确方法。此外，结果可用于更准确的太阳能控制分析并提高建筑物的能源效率。