Performance study of a dual-function roof solar collector for Chinese traditional buildings application

•A wavelike roof solar collector for Chinese traditional buildings is presented.•A dynamic model together with experimental validation is conducted.•Thermal performance of Type 1 collector is compared to the other two collectors.•Heat loss factor of the Type 1 collector is 54.4% lower than the Type 2 collector.•Heat loss factor of the Type 1 collector is 65.8% lower than the Type 3 collector.