Energy saving through the sun: Analysis of visual comfort and energy consumption in office space

Energy demands for heating, cooling and lighting can be dramatically prejudiced by the façade configuration, solar exposition and typology of openings trying to maximize use of natural light. Office buildings are often field of experimentation of materials and innovative components, by the way a consolidated design market promotes façade layouts strongly transparent introducing a primary need to shading and protection of the users privacy. Building Automation Systems (BAS) can reduce users’ intervention on indoor condition control; on the other hand users want to be capable to fix conditions in their working space avoiding problems of visual discomfort, specifically disturbing and intolerable levels of glare. Systems to evaluate visual comfort parameters to improve consciousness in use of daylighting are fundamental in design to realize a façade which permits real energy saving during operation time. The present study aims to analyze a single office space with three different configuration of the openings located in different orientation and position (south exposed window, north exposed window and skylight). The three cases study are evaluated on optimization of natural lighting, visual comfort, electricity consumption and heating and cooling demand and consumption. To perform these kind of calculation with the correct level of detail is crucial to make use of a appropriate tools which can estimate the value of the different parameters to assess energy and visual quality of the indoor space. It is not possible to use just one tool to collect all the information required to optimize a building in order to obtain a NZEB level of consumption. The high standards required by the new regulations need a full-range analysis and a specific knowledge of all the parameters involved. In this study are used six software for the simulation of the all needed parameters (Ecotect, Radiance, Evalglare, Daysim, Dialux, Open Studio).