Determination of optimal energy-efficient integrated daylighting systems into building windows

The absence or improper use of shading on the glazing of building windows causes overheating which increases both cooling load and glare, especially in the hot desert climate. However, integrating Daylighting Systems appropriately into building windows can contribute to reducing energy consumption by effectively utilizing daylight as a renewable resource instead of depending only on artificial light. This can help in achieving green, sustainable, high performance, and energy-efficient buildings. This paper proposes a set of integrated Daylighting Systems into building windows to optimize the energy efficiency performance of office buildings in the hot desert climate.

The integration of individual and collective Daylighting Systems with different configurations are explored to generate an extensive set composed of 87 alternatives in three different orientations. The energy simulation is conducted for these alternatives to investigate their performance on reducing the electric energy consumption of cooling and artificial lighting. The optimal set of energy-efficient integrated Daylighting Systems is determined based on the highest performance of reducing energy consumption for cooling and lighting while maintaining visual and thermal comfort. This optimal set of integrations is formulated into a multi-level utilization guide for facilitating the appropriate selection of optimal energy-efficient Daylighting Systems into building windows. This utilization guide will assist building designers to optimize the energy efficiency performance of buildings by selecting the most appropriate Daylighting Systems to be integrated into building windows. Such performance-based utilization guide will aid designers in making decisions from the perspectives of energy efficiency, and visual and thermal comfort.