Energy Performance of Buildings with Thermochromic Windows in Mediterranean Climates

Georgios E Arnaoutakis,Dimitris A Katsaprakakis

doi:10.3390/en14216977

Georgios E Arnaoutakis, Dimitris A Katsaprakakis

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en14216977

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Journal: Energies	Publication Date: Oct 25, 2021
Citations: 9	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Hellenic Mediterranean University

Abstract

This article presents comparative results on the energy performance of buildings in the Mediterranean. Many buildings in the Mediterranean exhibit low energy performance ranking. Thermochromic windows are able to improve the energy consumption by controlling the gains from sunlight. In this article, reference buildings in 15 cities around the Mediterranean are investigated. In this work, a dynamic building information modeling approach is utilized, relying on three-dimensional geometry of office buildings. Calculations of the energy demand based on computational simulations of each location were performed, for the estimation of heating and cooling loads. The presented study highlighted the need for high-resolution data for detailed simulation of thermochromic windows in buildings of Mediterranean cities. Temperature is one of the main climate parameters that affect the energy demand of buildings. However, the climate of Mediterranean cities nearby the sea may affect the energy demand. This was more pronounced in cities with arid Mediterranean climate with increased demand in air-conditioning during the summer months. On the other hand, cities with semi-arid Mediterranean climate exhibited relatively increased heating demand. With this parametric approach, the article indicates the energy saving potential of the proposed measures for each Mediterranean city. Finally, these measures can be complemented by overall building passive and active systems for higher energy reductions and increased comfort.

Highlights

Academic Editor: Paulo SantosReceived: 30 September 2021Accepted: 20 October 2021Published: 25 October 2021Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.The Mediterranean climate is characterized by mild winters and cool summers, especially in insular areas
Thermochromic coatings can be applied in new windows, but can be more important in existing building windows [26] with limitations in window adaptations. With this possibility in mind, we examine the performance of singly-glazed thermochromic windows their report and application as windows in buildings of Mediterranean climates is limited
With this possibility in mind, we examine the performance of singly-glazed thermochromic windows in 3 of 14

Summary

Introduction

Academic Editor: Paulo SantosReceived: 30 September 2021Accepted: 20 October 2021Published: 25 October 2021Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.The Mediterranean climate is characterized by mild winters and cool summers, especially in insular areas. The temperature in winter rarely falls below 0 ◦ C, while the temperature during summer days varies around 30 ◦ C, due to sea wind. These winds may, be absent in cities near the eastern Mediterranean basin and north Africa. These mild climate conditions result to moderate heating and cooling loads of buildings in Mediterranean cities. These loads are limited during the peak winter and summer seasons, reducing the conditioning requirements during the spring and autumn [1]

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