Role of façade shades in energy efficiency in commercial buildings

Abstract

Energy consumption and production all over the world is a key contributor to climate change due to resultant emissions of CO2. To meet the national goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2070, the current trends in energy consumption need to be addressed, with the building sector accounting for 40% of the global energy consumption. In India, the heating, cooling and lighting load of commercial buildings has increased from 32% to 46% in the past two decades. Energy demands can sustainably be reduced by means of energy conservation measures, particularly during the building design stage. As demands for new commercial spaces increased in crowded cities, the multi-storeyed glass façade building emerged out and continues to be a popular building design. This paper examines the role of façade shading elements in pulling down the energy demands and harnessing required daylight for lighting comfort. Daylight, energy, solar insolation and glare patterns are analysed in existing building in Noida on the basis of which different shading configurations are proposed by means of computer simulation, using Ecotect, eQUEST software and Radiance tool. Based on the analysis, three cogent designs are discussed and the optimum shade design is identified.