Determination of Glazing Material’s Influence on the Energy Performance of Office Buildings Using Dynamic Simulation Techniques

Abstract

This investigation presents a detailed analysis in an effort of building energy performance improvement from the aspect of building envelope and glazing influence on the annual heating and cooling energy demand. This work is the continuance of our previous envelope optimization investigation and elaborates the influence of five different glazing types on the annual heating and cooling energy demand of the reference office building in compliance with energy efficiency regulations. Total annual energy demands were determined according to the building envelope’s thermal performance and glazing characteristics. Findings from the dynamic simulations indicated the influence of glazing parameters (U-value, Solar heat gain coefficient) on the annual heating and cooling demand of the multi-zone building model. From the five simulated envelopes it was concluded that with adequate window application the annual heating demand could be reduced by 27% and the annual cooling demand by approximately 40%.