The Effect of Using Horizontal Shading Elements on the Energy Efficiency of Multistory Residential Buildings

Abstract

Shading elements have been considered to be an important element in controlling the amount of heat and sunlight entering the spaces, the most common kinds of horizontal shading devices include architectural components including balconies, louvres, and roof overhangs. Residential buildings consume high energy by household appliances from air conditioning, which makes it the most energy consuming building. Therefore, the aim of this research is determine the effect of using horizontal shading elements on the energy efficiency of multi-storey residential buildings. DesignBuilder is a tool used in this research to evaluate the energy efficiency by comparing the typical room without shading elements and with typical room with shading elements with different depths under two district climatic conditions cold semi-arid climate and hot arid climate. The research found that energy saving between 0.5% to 30.8% when using horizontal shading elements depending on the orientation and location of the case study beside the depth of shading elements.