Simulation-based optimization of smart windows performance using coupled EnergyPlus - NSGA-II - ANP method

Abstract

Windows are one of the most important parts of buildings responsible for wasting energy. In recent years, research works have shown that using smart windows is one of the most efficient methods to reduce the negative effects of glazings on buildings' energy consumption. In this paper, the performance of smart windows, including three types of electrochromic and five types of thermochromic ones, on reducing buildings energy consumption has been studied in four major climate regions of Iran (i.e., continental with dry summer, temperate with dry summer, steppe arid, and desert arid). Besides, to optimize the design parameters, including the building orientation, the window dimensions, and the glazing specifications, single and multi-objective genetic algorithms have been applied. The algorithms, coded in MATLAB, have been coupled with EnergyPlus building energy simulation program through jEPlus software as an interface. The results show that in the optimized case, using thermochromic and electrochromic windows decreases the annual total energy consumption 29.6% to 44.7%, and 9.3 to 26.3%, respectively, relative to the base model. The developed method and its results help to build energy engineers and architects to make the most effective decision on building parameters, which improve the energy efficiency of buildings.