Abstract
This paper assesses energy savings in terms of heating, cooling, and artificial lighting achieved in an office building with a high Window to Wall Ratio (WWR), located in Athens and Stockholm. Six different configurations of triple pane windows combining thermochromic, electrochromic, and low-e coatings in Insulated Glass Units (IGUs) are examined to quantify the potential of increasing energy savings in office buildings. The combination of electrochromic and thermochromic layers on the outer pane of the triple IGU, achieved an 18.5% and 8.1% reduction in annual primary energy use for Athens and Stockholm, respectively. The used switching strategy ensured the visual comfort of the employees and provided adequate daylight in both cases. It was found that in Stockholm the cooling system can be downsized considerably, achieving important cost reduction in the HVAC system. The analysis also takes into account the reduction of thermal storage in the building envelope due to the switchable windows. This reduction is beneficial in the case of Athens, but it can reduce energy savings in Stockholm. Therefore, for colder climates, it is important to increase window heat gains through the development of layers with higher g-value in the clear state and through the application of appropriate switching strategies.
Highlights
The building sector is considered to be the largest single energy consumer in Europe, absorbing approximately 40% of final energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, artificial lighting, and various appliances
Non-residential buildings are responsible for 14% of the total energy use in the EU [1]
In a typical residential building, heating, cooling, artificial lighting, and hot water generation make up approximately 60% of total energy use
Summary
The building sector is considered to be the largest single energy consumer in Europe, absorbing approximately 40% of final energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, artificial lighting, and various appliances. Non-residential buildings are responsible for 14% of the total energy use in the EU [1]. About 75% of buildings are still energy inefficient and greenhouse gas emissions created by building energy use are a main cause of global warming and climatic change [2]. In a typical residential building, heating, cooling, artificial lighting, and hot water generation make up approximately 60% of total energy use. Commercial buildings usually require less energy for heating, but present around 15% higher energy use in terms of cooling and lighting [3]
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