NRC-IRC researchers are initiating a two-phase project to investigate the potential for solar shading in houses to reduce the energy needed for heating and reduce or eliminate the need for cooling without adversely affecting occupant thermal comfort and window durability. This iniciative follows recent Natural Resources of Canada statistics that estimate the energy demand for heating and cooling accounts for about 63% of the total energy consumption of an average Canadian home.

Effective solar shading devices include operable exterior insulating blinds and highly reflective interior shading. Both have the potential to reduce solar overheating in summer and heat losses in winter, and to improve the thermal comfort of occupants seated near windows. Exterior shading, although not common in Canada, outperforms interior shading. The latter, if not properly designed and installed, may increase the potential risk of condensation and excessive glass thermal stress. This is particularly true when interior shading is used with insulating glass units, which feature low-emissivity coatings and inert gas fills.

The first phase will develop guidelines for the effective use of solar shading for windows in houses. In addition, the project will gather information on how homeowners use shading, as well as on the types of controls involved, and assess how these factors affect energy demands. To study the effects of shading, researchers will use both state-of-the-art computer simulation tools and measurements at the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology (CCHT) research facility. They will also devise a Web-based survey to investigate the way in which occupants use shading, reveals the company’s press release. The second phase of the project will involve a field demonstration of motorized solar shading to evaluate the integration of shading controls with house heating and cooling systems. NRC-IRC is seeking partners to participate in this project ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).
 

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