Simulation-based Evaluation of the Effect of Interior Dynamic Shade Optical Properties on Energy Consumption and Thermal Performance in an Administrative Building: A Case Study of Yazd's Desert Climate
نویسندگان
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yazd University, Iran
doi
10.5829/ijee.2026.17.02.06چکیده
In the hot-arid climate of Yazd, intense solar radiation significantly increases the cooling loads of buildings. Among effective passive design strategies, the use of interior dynamic roller shades with optimized optical properties can mitigate this issue. This study investigates the impact of varying solar reflectance and transmittance coefficients of internal roller shades on the annual energy consumption and thermal performance of a six-story office building located in Yazd. The building geometry was modeled in Sketch Up, the thermal and physical properties of materials were defined using Open Studio. Energy simulations were performed in Energy Plus using actual climate data. Six shade configurations were applied to the south-facing windows, representing different combinations of reflectance (0.2, 0.5, 0.8) and transmittance (0.1, 0.4, 0.7) values. Results indicated that the shade with high reflectance (0.8) and low transmittance (0.1) achieved the highest reduction in annual energy use (13.17%) and summer cooling demand (25.5%), but also caused increased heating loads in winter. Conversely, low-reflectance and high-transmittance shades performed better during the heating season, though they provided only 3.5% total energy savings. The analysis showed that increased reflectance reduces surface temperature and cooling demand, while increased transmittance enhances thermal gain in winter. This research highlights the importance of seasonally or dynamically adjusting optical properties of shading devices to improve building energy performance. Without relying on complex control systems, this material-based optimization approach is practical, cost-effective, and particularly suitable for retrofitting projects in hot-arid regions.