DOE-2 STUDY DEMONSTRATES EFFECTIVENESS OF SOLAR CONTROL FILMS AT REDUCING BUILDING ENERGY COSTS

摘要

Solar control films are used worldwide as an effective means of decreasing building energy costs by reducing excessive solar heat gain through windows. Determining energy savings from actual installations is difficult due to the common practice of implementing several energy conservation measures simultaneously and due to annual variations in the many factors that can affect a building's energy usage. To isolate and quantify the energy-saving benefits of solar films, an energy analysis study on a conventional office building was undertaken using the U.S. Department of Energy's sophisticated DOE-2 energy simulation software. The study included several types of solar films applied to various glazing systems. Locations around the globe were used to illustrate energy savings in different climates. Based on the most typical types of installations and on customary installation costs, the mean return on investment from solar film application was a payback of 2.6 years, facilitating a mean reduction of 8.0% in annual energy costs.