In the aspects of global sustainability, buildings are known to be one of the largest energy consumers. Though sustainable building construction through technological advances is helping in achieving environment friendly buildings, a considerable amount of energy is also being consumed by existing buildings. While many factors at all different stages of building life are responsible for this, the building material is one of the most important considerations. Glass being the most sensitive building material can lead to high energy consumption in the building if used in an improper way. This study takes this factor into account, and tries to investigate the potential of energy savings in buildings through the simple and basic considerations in design. An energy analysis model of an existing academic building in College Station, Texas was developed using Design Builder computer simulation software. This model was then analyzed for the total amount of energy consumption in the base case. The existing building model was then modified by replacing the glass used for external fenestrations. Latest building codes and standards for the site location, glass properties, and parametric simulation results were taken into consideration. Again the model was simulated for annual energy consumption and the results are noted. This formed the first option for the retrofitting scenario. A hypothetical redesign scenario was also established in which the revision of building orientation was taken into consideration. The building was re-oriented to suit the weather conditions and recommendations by Advanced Energy Design Guidelines (30 percent energy savings over ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999). The building was then simulated for annual energy consumption. A comparative analysis was performed between the three cases and the study concluded by showing 23 percent savings in the annual fuel consumption, 23.35 percent reduction in CO2 emission of the building and 25 percent reduction in annual solar heat gain under Modified case 1. Modified case 2, however, did not show any further savings due to the form of the building (almost square). However, modified case 1 settings emitted 31.8 percent more CO2 over the Energy Star office building in Texas. This methodology sets up a set of guidelines which can be followed while investigating a building for minimum annual energy consumption.

No description available.

Purpose: This degree project aims to study how different choices regarding the size, location and type of windows affect daylight entry in an apartment building in Västerås. We have chosen to calculate the energy requirement when changing the window type, size and shielding factor. The purpose is also to come up with solution proposals that balance daylight input and energy for a smaller energy need in the apartment building. Method: The research method is based on a literature study that will lay the foundation for the work and a case study where a visit to the concerned building has been carried out. Interviews have also been conducted with experts in daylight and energy issues. Energy calculations and daylight- related calculations have also been made using the computer program Daylight Visualizer. The goal of the program is to find out the value of the daylight factor in two different apartments on two different floors. In each apartment, three different rooms in three different latitudes (north, west, and south) have been studied. Results: The results present several factors that affect daylight intake. These are screening angles, orientation, room height, room depth, building structure and placement of balconies. The properties of the windows in terms of daylight transmittance (LT value) and solar heat gain (g value) are very important to get a good result regarding both daylight and heat in the building. The balance between daylight and solar heat gain to reducing the energy needs for heating during the winter and cooling during the summer. The result based on the computer program for the first window alternative show that that the value of the daylight factor in all three rooms on the 12th floor (third floor) was between 0.59–0.31% and on the 19th floor (tenth floor) 1.01– 0.91%. The calculations of the energy balance show as monthly results, and the calculated annual need for active heating is about 27 MWh / year. The corresponding result according to calculations by the consulting company Kadesjös is approximately 59 MWh / year, but the difference between its calculations has not been studied further in this degree project. Conclusions: The calculation results indicate that the building has a very limited energy requirement for active heating in relation to its size and this is logical given that the heat losses are relatively small in terms of transmission, Exhaust and supply air ventilation with heat recovery (FTX system), and air leakage. The heat losses through window glazing in this case constitute to only about 12% of the building's total heat losses.

Low-emissivity (low-E) window films are designed to improve the energy performance of windows and prevent indoor overheating by solar radiation. These films can be applied to different types of glazing units without the need for changing the whole window. This characteristic offers the possibility to improve the energy performance of the window of old and historic buildings for which preservation regulations say windows should remain more or less unchanged. This research aims to figure out to what extent a low-E window film can improve thermal comfort and energy performance of an old three-storey historic stone building in the cold climate of Mid-Sweden. In this research, first, with help of the simulation software “IDA ICE”, the entire building was modelled without window films in a one-year simulation. Second step was to add the low-E window films (3M Thinsulate Climate Control 75 (CC75)) to all the windows and repeat the simulation. Comparison between the results of the two cases revealed an improvement in energy use reduction as well as the thermal comfort when applying the films. For the application of the window films, a cost analysis using payback method was carried out which showed a long- time payback period. Although an investment with a long-time payback period is considered as a disadvantage, for historic buildings with very strict retrofit regulations specially when it comes to the building’s facades, application of the low-emissivity window films for better energy performance and thermal comfort is among the recommendable measures, but not necessarily the best.

Designing architecture is related to producing vast amounts of information based on constraints, experience or common sense, and at the same time, those designs are assisted by specialized software, but, are the results of those processes giving you advantage or are they leading you in the wrong way? For example, should you include shading elements or less glazing? Should you change the shape of the building or improve envelope specifications? This research is a start to understand how to approach to design problems related to solar geometry, recognize which variables are worth modifying, reduce potential of error when iterating, and take truly advantage of the output delivered by modeling tools. / Master of Architecture