IDENTIFYING OPTIMUM GLAZING PROPERTY FOR CONSERVING ENERGY IN HOT SEMI-ARID CLIMATE REGIONS

ABSTRACT

Globally, the building sector is responsible for 40% of energy use and 30% of GHG emissions. The greatest portion of the energy is used during the operational phase (use stage) of buildings. The building envelope, especially the glazed components, plays an important role in determining the energy requirement of buildings. These glazed parts of the building envelope exposed to direct solar radiation are most vulnerable to heat loss and gain. Heat loss and gain through the glazing material depend on glazing properties (U-value, SHGC, VT) and building energy use changes according to the properties of the glazing system. A variety of glazing types has been developed over recent decades that use the properties of the glass as a means of responding to environmental conditions. This study is carried out to identify the optimum glazing property for conserving energy in cooling dominant regions using an early design energy modeling tool. It was found that a low SHGC is the most important glazing property for reducing cooling energy consumption. SHGC of less than 0.3 is found useful. This study would help building industry professionals evaluate the best glazing property while selecting the glazing type.