Using automated solar shading to reduce the reliance on air conditioning

When discussing automated solar shading with architects, one of the key benefits we explain is how it can improve the energy efficiency of a building by reducing the reliance on systems like air conditioning.

But where is the proof of this? And how effective can automated solar shading actually be?

We explain more below.

One of the key pieces of research we reference when having this discussion with specifiers is a Guidehouse study from November 2021:

Solar shading – Synergising mitigation of Greenhouse Gas emissions and adaptation to climate change.

Findings from this report illustrated that automated solar shading could prevent a 17% increase in the share of buildings needing air conditioning to combat overheating by 2050.

The green line on the diagram below represents how our reliance on air conditioning would drop by 2040, before increasing in response to the number of new buildings being built by 2050. However, even with that increase, the percentage of buildings with some sort of reliance on air conditioning would only return to current levels.

Further findings from the study indicated how automated solar shading could prevent a 10% increase on current energy usage on cooling systems like air conditioning by 2050, which could contribute to a potential 56% saving on energy. This assumption was made by Guidehouse based on the prediction that air conditioning systems will also become more energy efficient in the future.

This potential saving on energy could then lead to a 58% reduction in the amount of greenhouse gas emitted compared to predicted 2050 levels.

Overall, the study concludes:

“Automated dynamic solar shading does not just significantly contribute to energy savings, mitigation of GHG emissions and adaptation of the European building stock to climate change. It also increases comfort, convenience, health and wellbeing.”

This is not to say that automated solar shading will eradicate the need for air conditioning systems in the future. As temperatures increase across the globe, air conditioning will inevitably be required at certain times to contribute to a comfortable thermal comfort level inside the building.

However, the reliance on energy-intensive systems like air conditioning can be dramatically reduced through the use of automated solar shading, especially when the system is paired with a high-performance metallised blind fabric.

If you’d like to discuss automated shading or high-performance fabrics in greater detail, please contact us here and our team will be delighted to assist.