Energy-efficient building design
Buildings consistently lose heat in the winter and absorb heat in the summer, when the goal is to conserve heat during the colder months and keep the building cool in the warmer months. In essence, a building's façade works against efforts to keep the area warm or cool, because despite heating or air conditioning the façade exhibits intrinsic thermal gains and losses. Thus, energy expenditure on space heating and air conditioning is not entirely efficient, as energy consumption also incorporates the building's heat absorption and loss. In order to maximise energy consumption efficiency and minimise energy liabilities, it is imperative to calculate a building's thermal behaviour prior to construction so as to select the building materials in a way that decreases intrinsic thermal losses and gains. A consortium of research and industrial professionals from Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Finland designed a one-of-a-kind software code that does precisely that so as to maximise the cost effectiveness of energy consumption. The AGLA software code predicts the thermal behaviour of a range of façade alternatives. AGLA is a simulation tool that makes such predictions in a few minutes. In fact, AGLA analyses building façades in either a detailed or comprehensive way and calculates values for an entire year. Furthermore, this software code provides essential information such as monthly and yearly heat fluxes and minimum and maximum indoor temperatures. Input data consist of meteorological, indoor, and geometric information as well as the thermo-physical and optical properties of each building material. Of course, more detailed calculations can also be derived. It is most important to note that AGLA is able to analyse ventilated façades while incorporating new technologies. In addition, the AGLA software has many advantages over conventional methods of thermal behaviour prediction. Existent software codes that analyse heat transfer do not allow ventilated façades, thermal insulation materials, or photovoltaic panels as variables. Also, when information is obtained from prototypes it is not conclusive, while the prototypes themselves are expensive to build and time-consuming when it comes to information analysis. On the other hand, AGLA is cost-effective, comprehensive, and yields results quickly. All these features make AGLA perfectly suitable for its potential users, such as mechanical, energy and architectural engineers as well as constructing companies. Moreover, the consortium investigated other areas of energy consumption in buildings in order to reduce non-renewable energy consumption and aid the effort to protect the environment. This investigation resulted in a multifunctional ventilated curtain wall that was designed using the AGLA software code. This improved curtain wall makes building façades more energy efficient as this innovation exhibits low thermal losses. The multifunctional curtain wall is versatile, as it not only facilitates the incorporation of new construction technologies, but also permits panels with transparent insulation materials, phase change materials, as well as motorised dampers, curtains, and blinds. An extension of this particular innovation is also a key element of this consortium's research efforts. The researchers constructed a ventilated transparent insulation façade that acts as a solar wall heating element. This ventilated transparent insulation can switch from a heating mode in the winter months to a cooling mode in the summer months. In essence, this feature translates into lower thermal losses in winter and minimal overheating in summer. These innovations will advance energy technologies and help maximise cost effectiveness while protecting the environment.
