Simulation assessment of living wall thermal performance in winter in the climate of Portugal

Abstract

Plants on building facades bring a better thermal behavior of the building during the summer. During winter time the studies are scarce. Several design parameters may affect the extent of this vegetation system on the improvement of energy performance as the vegetation itself. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of vertical greenery systems on the energy consumption of buildings during winter conditions of Portugal. It involves performing EnergyPlus simulations after it was validated against other studies. The choice of design parameters for vertical vegetation is also important in making sure that it contributes to energy savings rather than energy consumption. It is found that vertical greenery systems are effective in lowering the thermal losses through North, East and West walls, thus it can improve the energy efficiency of the building mainly by insulating it. This resulted in lower annual energy load for heating. Simulations proofed that living wall systems on the walls facing south do not contribute to energy savings.