The performance of three diffuse hourly irradiation models on tilted surfaces was evaluated by making a database of hourly global and diffuse solar irradiation on a horizontal surface, as well as global solar irradiation on a tilted surface, recorded in a solar radiation station located at Cordoba University (Spain). The method for a comparison of the performance of these models was developed from a study of the utilizable energy" statistics, a value representing, for a specific period of time, the mean monthly radiation that exceeded a critical level of radiation. This model comparison method seemed to us to be highly suitable since it provides a way of comparing the capacity of these models to estimate, however, much energy is incident on a tilted surface above a critical radiation level. Estimated and measured values were compared using the normalized RMBE and RRMSE statistics. According to the results of the method let us verify that, of the three models evaluated, one isotropic and two anisotropic, the Reindl et al. anisotropic model was the one giving the best results. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.