Faced with the global energy crisis and escalating costs, many cooperative initiatives and research endeavours are aimed at minimizing energy use worldwide. The main objective of the current research study is to improve the effectiveness of the Trombe wall in buildings with diverse designs and operating conditions appropriate for the winter environment in an arid zone of Sohag, Egypt, with solar energy. Three air gap distances of 100 mm, 200 mm, and 300 mm were analyzed for the Trombe cavity. Air entry is assessed using two techniques: window opening (Mode-I) and top hatch in the door (Mode-II). Four distinct air gate configurations A, B, C, and D are examined. The experiments are undertaken on designated winter days across several winter months to assess the climatic conditions. The results identified the optimum conditions for using the Trombe wall system during the winter in arid regions. The best pattern achieved higher performance with an air gap (XAG) of 300 mm when the air entry was from the upper opening of the door (Mode-II), and the air gate arrangement was set to pattern-A. The present data were compared with 23 references for winter climate conditions, which confirmed the agreement in the study results.HighlightsTrombe's wall was investigated in arid conditions of Egypt, in winter.Four types of air gate patterns have been proposed.Two modes of ventilated air entering the tested chamber were studied.Air gap distance impact was examined.Best conditions were XAG = 300 mm, Mode-II, pattern-A and with mirror adding.