Effect of Luminaries’ Arrangement and Type on Visual Comfort and Energy Consumption

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-426
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyedeh Samaneh Golzan ◽  
Mina Pouyanmehr ◽  
Hassan Sadeghi Naeini

PurposeThe modular dynamic façade (MDF) concept could be an approach in a comfort-centric design through proper integration with energy-efficient buildings. This study focuses on obtaining and/or calculating an efficient angle of the MDF, which would lead to the optimum performance in daylight availability and energy consumption in a single south-faced official space located in the hot-arid climate of Yazd, Iran.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology consists of three fundamental parts: (1) based on previous related studies, a diamond-based dynamic skin façade was applied to a south-faced office building in a hot-arid climate; (2) the daylighting and energy performance of the model were simulated annually; and (3) the data obtained from the simulation were compared to reach the optimum angle of the MDF.FindingsThe results showed that when the angle of the MDF openings was set at 30°, it could decrease energy consumption by 41.32% annually, while daylight simulation pointed that the space experienced the minimum possible glare at this angle. Therefore, the angle of 30° was established as the optimum angle, which could be the basis for future investment in responsive building envelopes.Originality/valueThis angular study simultaneously assesses the daylight availability, visual comfort and energy consumption on a MDF in a hot-arid climate.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Cannavale ◽  
Ubaldo Ayr ◽  
Francesco Fiorito ◽  
Francesco Martellotta

Electrochromic systems for smart windows make it possible to enhance energy efficiency in the construction sector, in both residential and tertiary buildings. The dynamic modulation of the spectral properties of a glazing, within the visible and infrared ranges of wavelengths, allows one to adapt the thermal and optical behavior of a glazing to the everchanging conditions of the environment in which the building is located. This allows appropriate control of the penetration of solar radiation within the building. The consequent advantages are manifold and are still being explored in the scientific literature. On the one hand, the reduction in energy consumption for summer air conditioning (and artificial lighting, too) becomes significant, especially in "cooling dominated" climates, reaching high percentages of saving, compared to common transparent windows; on the other hand, the continuous adaptation of the optical properties of the glass to the changing external conditions makes it possible to set suitable management strategies for the smart window, in order to offer optimal conditions to take advantage of daylight within the confined space. This review aims at a critical review of the relevant literature concerning the benefits obtainable in terms of energy consumption and visual comfort, starting from a survey of the main architectures of the devices available today.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Nicoletti ◽  
Cristina Carpino ◽  
Mario A. Cucumo ◽  
Natale Arcuri

Glazing surfaces strongly affect the building energy balance considering heat losses, solar gains and daylighting. Appropriate operation of the screens is required to control the transmitted solar radiation, preventing internal overheating while assuring visual comfort. Consequently, in the building design phase, solar control systems have become crucial devices to achieve high energy standards. An operation based on well-defined control strategies can help to reduce cooling energy consumption and ensure appropriate levels of natural lighting. The present study aims at investigating the effect of smart screening strategies on the energy consumption of a test building designed in the Mediterranean climate. With the aim of automatically setting the inclination of venetian blind slats, the necessary equations are analytically found out and applied. Equations obtained are based on the position of the sun with respect to the wall orientation. In the case of a cloudy day or an unlit surface, empirical laws are determined to optimize the shielding. These are extrapolated through energy simulations conducted with the EnergyPlus software. Finally, using the same software, the actual benefits obtained by the method used are assessed, in terms of energy and CO2 emissions saved in a test environment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 462-475
Author(s):  
Alessandro Cannavale

Chromogenic materials and devices include a wide range of technologies that are capable of changing their spectral properties according to specific external stimuli. Several studies have shown that chromogenics can be conveniently used in building façades in order to reduce energy consumption, with other significant effects. First of all, chromogenics influence the annual energy balance of a building, achieving significant reductions in consumption for HVAC and artificial lighting. In addition, these technologies potentially improve the indoor level of visual comfort, reducing the risks of glare and excessive lighting. This brief review points to a systematic discussion—although not exhaustive and mainly limited to recent results and investigations—of the main studies that deal with building-integrated chromogenics that have appeared, so far, in the scientific literature.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelhakim Mesloub ◽  
Ghazy Abdullah Albaqawy ◽  
Mohd Zin Kandar

Recently, Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) windows have become an alternative energy solution to achieve a zero-energy building (ZEB) and provide visual comfort. In Algeria, some problems arise due to the high energy consumption levels of the building sector. Large amounts of this energy are lost through the external envelope façade, because of the poorness of the window’s design. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the optimum BIPV window performance for overall energy consumption (OEC) in terms of energy output, heating and cooling load, and artificial lighting to ensure visual comfort and energy savings in typical office buildings under a semi-arid climate. Field measurements of the tested office were carried out during a critical period. The data have been validated and used to develop a model for an OEC simulation. Extensive simulations using graphical optimization methods are applied to the base-model, as well as nine commercially-available BIPV modules with different Window Wall Ratios (WWRs), cardinal orientations, and tilt angles. The results of the investigation from the site measurements show a significant amount of energy output compared to the energy demand. This study revealed that the optimum BIPV window design includes double-glazing PV modules (A) with medium WWR and 20% VLT in the southern façade and 30% VLT toward the east–west axis. The maximum energy savings that can be achieved are 60% toward the south orientation by double-glazing PV module (D). On the other hand, the PV modules significantly minimize the glare index compared to the base-model. The data extracted from the simulation established that the energy output percentages in a 3D model can be used by architects and designers in early stages. In the end, the adoption of optimum BIPV windows shows a significant enough improvement in their overall energy savings and visual comfort to consider them essential under a semi-arid climate.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lakshya Sharma ◽  
K Kishan Lal ◽  
Dibakar Rakshit

Residential and commercial buildings together account for one-third of world’s final energy consumption, thus making energy management in buildings of considerable significance. Passive design concept that depends on climate and location can be used as an effective and economical method to reduce the energy consumption in buildings. Seven cities in India, each representative of different geographic and climatic conditions, were selected for analysis. This article studies how the peak cooling and heating load are affected by varying some of the passive design parameters for each of the seven cities. The parameters varied are wall insulation thickness, roof insulation thickness, overhang depth, window orientation, and window-to-wall ratio. Results show that optimized passive design could reduce the peak cooling and heating loads by about 50%. Shading reduces cooling loads but is found to increase heating loads. In some of the locations, both heating in winter and cooling in summer are needed and designers should adopt appropriate passive measures depending on the location. Also for the same building, evaluation of shading is done in the context of lighting energy savings. An algorithm has been developed to iteratively alter and analyze set of roller blind positions to maintain visual comfort; as a result, the corresponding potential annual energy savings due to lighting were estimated. It was also observed that even after providing visual comfort to the occupants, energy savings only reduced by approximately 1% as compared to the case when visual comfort was overlooked.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Nova Asriana ◽  
Dewi Rachmaniatus Syariyah

Abstract: The usage of daylight in a room or building during the day is a wide strategy for illuminating the room naturally without artificial lighting services so that it can reduce the energy consumption of building. In addition, the use of daylight aims to enhance the quality of spatial visualization, vision health, environmental comfort, and increase the performance of user productivity in the room. This research will discourse about the amount of light get into room to identify how much the daylight can be useful and captured by human sight’s perception through a radiance simulation camera which will be translated into realistic images. This simulation is experimental-based that include two phases, namely the configuration of alternative openings and draws light according to the perception of user’s vision, then the set of radiance simulation based on scripting to generate the realistic images. Based on this simulation, the amount of daylight is influenced by source, quantity, position, area of openings and the building orientation or building. The amount of light intensity also affects the visual comfort of users who have activities in the room. The result of this simulation is to identify the room that generates daylight area and non-daylight area to decrease the artificial lighting.Abstrak: Pemanfaatan pencahayaan alami (daylight) pada sebuah ruangan dan bangunan di siang hari merupakan salah satu strategi desain untuk menerangi ruangan secara alami tanpa bantuan cahaya buatan sehingga dapat mengurangi konsumsi energi pada bangunan. Selain itu juga, permanfaatan pencahayaan alami (daylight) bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kualitas visual dalam ruangan, kesehatan indera penglihatan, kenyamanan lingkungan dan meningkatkan produktivitas kinerja pengguna bangunan. Pada penelitian ini akan membahas mengenai besaran cahaya yang masuk ke dalam suatu ruangan untuk melihat seberapa besar pencahayaan alami yang masuk dan ditangkap dalam suatu persepsi indera penglihatan manusia melalui kamera simulasi radiance yang diwujudkan ke dalam foto realistik. Simulasi ini dilakukan dengan metode berbasis eksperimen mandiri (experimental-based) yang terdiri dua tahap, yaitu tahapan konfigurasi bentuk bukaan dan draw light berdasarkan persepsi indera penglihatan peneliti, kemudian dilanjutkan dengan simulasi radiance berbasis scripting untuk menghasilkan foto realistik. Berdasarkan hasil simulasi ini, besarnya cahaya alami yang masuk ke dalam ruangan dipengaruhi oleh beberapa faktor, yaitu sumber bukaan, jumlah bukaan, posisi bukaan, besaran bukaan, dan orientasi ruangan atau bangunan. Besarnya intensitas cahaya yang masuk juga akan mempengaruhi kenyamanan visual bagi pengguna yang beraktivitas dalam ruangan tersebut. Hasil dari penelitian ini untuk melihat konfigurasi mana yang menghasilkan sebagian area daylight dan area non-daylight yang cukup merata untuk menghindari bantuan cahaya buatan.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 9597
Author(s):  
Daniel Uribe ◽  
Sergio Vera

Office buildings are usually characterized by low thermal inertia, which could cause underperformance in terms of energy consumption. Moreover, the use of large, glazed façades in office buildings can cause thermal and visual discomfort due to high solar heat gains and excessive daylight transmitted into the office space. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) integrated into glazing have arisen as an innovative strategy to increase thermal inertia and improve office buildings’ energy performance and indoor comfort at a low cost. This paper aims to analyze the impact of PCM glazing on buildings’ energy performance and occupants’ thermal and visual comfort. The analysis is performed through a one-year real-scale experiment in two offices in Santiago, Chile, with an east-oriented façade and a window-to-wall ratio (WWR) of 56%. The results are analyzed on two timescales: seasonally and daily. Representative days in each season were selected to carry out the analysis. Regarding the energy consumption of the HVAC system, PCM glazing reduces energy consumption during summer and mid-seasons and significantly reduces the peak loads in summer. A meaningful improvement in thermal comfort is achieved due to the control of the mean radiant temperature for the whole year. Considering visual comfort, there is an improvement in the luminance distribution in winter and mid-season cold conditions.


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