Dispositivos de proteção solar e eficiência energética em edifícios de escritório : uma avaliação para a cidade de Maceió/AL.

Abstract

Since the oil energy crisis of the seventies until the Brazilian 2001 blackout, energy savings became an important issue in Brazil and the building industry has been identified as a sector where substantial savings may occur. In commercial buildings the energy consumption is strongly related to air conditioning systems. Facing this context, the present work intends to evaluate the impact of using solar shading devices in the energy consumption performance of medium size typical office buildings located in Maceió city, Brazil. In low latitude regions, solar radiation represents an important parcel of buildings total heat gain. The evaluation was carried out through a parametric investigation where the effect of facades orientation and typology in the energy consumption, as well as the effect of plan typology regarding the location of corridor (central or lateral). Computer simulations of models representing the combinations for parameters above mentioned were carried out using the Energyplus software in order to estimate the energy consumption of each model. The simulations have shown the energy consumption for the considered models, allowing for the estimation of the impact magnitude regarding each of the different examined parameters. When solar shading devices were added to facades built in masonry with exposed windows the energy savings related to air conditioning systems was 18.7%, while for curtain wall facades it reached 39.2%. Results lead to the conclusion that the use of solar shading devices represents a relevant design strategy for energy savings in office buildings located in Maceió.