Effect of Glazing Materials and Shading Position on the Energy Consumption Pattern and Indoor Visual Comfort of Office Building

There has been an increase in the use of glazed façades in new buildings, allowing access to daylight, solar gain, and external view. Hence, a significant attention needs to be devoted on the design of these facades with focus on their impact in terms of energy efficiency in buildings and indoor visual comfort. Discomfort glare, high heating, and cooling demands are major issues in the buildings with highly glazed facades and this needs to be addressed with appropriate solar shadings. In this study, a comparative performance of venetian blinds assumed to be positioned externally, internally and in between the panes and adjusted at different slat angles has been investigated. Simulations have been performed for an office room with south glazing in hot-dry and cold-cloudy climates. Results clearly reveal that regardless of the climatic condition and glazing types, the blind solar shade positioned externally performs best in terms of energy efficiency as well as indoor visual comfort. With low e-coated glazing (G-III), externally positioned blind fixed at 45° and 90° can be the most energy efficient options in hot-dry and cold climates, respectively. However, the options to achieve the most desirable indoor visual comfort may differ from the options that have been identified from the best energy efficiency point of view.