Optimization of External Shading Devices for Energy Efficient Buildings

Marco Manzan (University of Trieste)

CHALLENGE - In an ever increasing demand for energy efficiency, with regulations pushing towards “nearly zero energy” for all new buildings by 2020, engineers and architects must work to provide sustainable solutions. Windows are among the most problematic building components, in particular due to excessive summer sun loads and glare.













SOLUTION - Fixed external shading devices and moveable internal venetian blinds equipped with sensors were designed and their parameters imported in DAYSIM software for daylighting analysis and in ESP-r for energy analysis. The two software were integrated with modeFRONTIER to optimize the energy consumption during occupancy hours and the amount of time when the use of shading devices is required, maintaining a defined level of illumination.

BENEFIT - In spite of the computationally intensive daylighting analysis, modeFRONTIER FAST algorithm was able to locate the Pareto front in a reasonable amount of time optimizing the use of blinds to reduce the overall energy consumption.