The pipe-embedded double-skin facade (PDSF) is a superior approach to decrease building cooling and heating load by using natural energy. With pipes embedded in the shading, the overheating problem in the conventional double-skin facade (DSF) can be eliminated. Unlike the traditional DSF or glass windows, the thermal performance of PDSF depends on the ambient environment and water temperature in the embedded pipes. Although the complicated heat transfer process of PDSF can be numerically solved, it is difficult for engineers to obtain the whole picture of the PDSF at first glance. To easily understand the thermal property of the PDSF, the overall heat transfer coefficient (U value), solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and equivalent ambient temperature of the PDSF are derived based on the thermal network. The heat transfer characteristic of the PDSF at different cooling water temperatures is compared with that of the conventional DSF. The results show that the three proposed indices can clearly reflect the thermal property of the PDSF: U value and SHGC reflects the influence of insulation and the transparency respectively, and the equivalent temperature reflects the integrated influence of water temperature and outdoor temperature. The typical PDSF has a higher U value than the DSF in the same structure. However, the SHGC of the PDSF is only 60% of that of the DSF. Although the equivalent ambient temperature depends on the outdoor temperature and water temperature, the weighting of the water temperature is 0.8, which indicates that the equivalent ambient temperature for the PDSF can reach a better level with the appropriate water temperature. Moreover, relatively warm water is suggested on sunny days to reduce the solar heat gain, since the solar heat gain is dominant in the total heat gain. Correspondingly, cool water is recommended for cloudy days to decrease the conductive heat gain. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.