National energy savings potential of cellular shades: A measurement and simulation study

Niraj Kunwar; Mahabir Bhandari; Dragan C. Curcija

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109593

National energy savings potential of cellular shades: A measurement and simulation study

Niraj Kunwar, Mahabir Bhandari, Dragan C. Curcija

Building Envelope Materials Research

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Windows are major contributors to energy demand in residential homes because of their inferior thermal resistance compared with the opaque envelope, and sometimes from unwanted solar heat gain. Window attachments can help mitigate the energy demand by controlling the solar heat gains and enhancing window thermal resistance. Cellular shades have the potential of superior thermal performance compared with generic shades because of its honeycomb structure. In this study, the team analyzed the energy savings potential of cellular shades in residential homes via experimental testing for two heating seasons and energy simulations. Five shading devices—three single-cell and two double cellular/cell-in-cell shades—were used to compare the performance with generic horizontal venetian blinds using two nearly identical side-by-side rooms in a residential home. The experimental testing showed daily heating energy savings in the range of 17%–36% compared with the case without shades. The experimental testing data also exhibited improvements in thermal comfort when using cellular shades. Additionally, energy simulations were performed to evaluate the energy savings potential of the cellular shades using a residential prototype home, which demonstrated energy savings up to 9 kWh/m²/year in cold climates. The total site energy savings for heating and cooling from cellular shades was up to ∼9% for the home with a heat pump and up to ∼15% for a home with a gas furnace compared with cases without any shading devices. The energy savings at a national scale were up to 14.6 TWh assuming a 20% penetration rate in residential homes.

Original language	English
Article number	109593
Journal	Building and Environment
Volume	225
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109593
State	Published - Nov 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

This work is supported by the Buildings Technology Office of DOE , and the team specifically thanks Marc LaFrance at DOE for guiding this research. The team would like to thank Anthony Gehl and Jerald Atchley (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) for their help with the experimental testing setup. The team would also like to thank Howdy Goudey (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), John Fitzgerald (Comfortex Window Fashions), and Stephen Mullaly and Stacy Lambright (Hunter Douglas) for their support during the different stages of the project. This work is supported by the Buildings Technology Office of DOE, and the team specifically thanks Marc LaFrance at DOE for guiding this research.

Funders	Funder number
Comfortex Window Fashions
John Fitzgerald
U.S. Department of Energy

Keywords

Cellular shades
Energy savings
EnergyPlus
Experimental testing
Shading device
Thermal comfort

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109593

Cite this

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title = "National energy savings potential of cellular shades: A measurement and simulation study",

abstract = "Windows are major contributors to energy demand in residential homes because of their inferior thermal resistance compared with the opaque envelope, and sometimes from unwanted solar heat gain. Window attachments can help mitigate the energy demand by controlling the solar heat gains and enhancing window thermal resistance. Cellular shades have the potential of superior thermal performance compared with generic shades because of its honeycomb structure. In this study, the team analyzed the energy savings potential of cellular shades in residential homes via experimental testing for two heating seasons and energy simulations. Five shading devices—three single-cell and two double cellular/cell-in-cell shades—were used to compare the performance with generic horizontal venetian blinds using two nearly identical side-by-side rooms in a residential home. The experimental testing showed daily heating energy savings in the range of 17%–36% compared with the case without shades. The experimental testing data also exhibited improvements in thermal comfort when using cellular shades. Additionally, energy simulations were performed to evaluate the energy savings potential of the cellular shades using a residential prototype home, which demonstrated energy savings up to 9 kWh/m2/year in cold climates. The total site energy savings for heating and cooling from cellular shades was up to ∼9% for the home with a heat pump and up to ∼15% for a home with a gas furnace compared with cases without any shading devices. The energy savings at a national scale were up to 14.6 TWh assuming a 20% penetration rate in residential homes.",

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AB - Windows are major contributors to energy demand in residential homes because of their inferior thermal resistance compared with the opaque envelope, and sometimes from unwanted solar heat gain. Window attachments can help mitigate the energy demand by controlling the solar heat gains and enhancing window thermal resistance. Cellular shades have the potential of superior thermal performance compared with generic shades because of its honeycomb structure. In this study, the team analyzed the energy savings potential of cellular shades in residential homes via experimental testing for two heating seasons and energy simulations. Five shading devices—three single-cell and two double cellular/cell-in-cell shades—were used to compare the performance with generic horizontal venetian blinds using two nearly identical side-by-side rooms in a residential home. The experimental testing showed daily heating energy savings in the range of 17%–36% compared with the case without shades. The experimental testing data also exhibited improvements in thermal comfort when using cellular shades. Additionally, energy simulations were performed to evaluate the energy savings potential of the cellular shades using a residential prototype home, which demonstrated energy savings up to 9 kWh/m2/year in cold climates. The total site energy savings for heating and cooling from cellular shades was up to ∼9% for the home with a heat pump and up to ∼15% for a home with a gas furnace compared with cases without any shading devices. The energy savings at a national scale were up to 14.6 TWh assuming a 20% penetration rate in residential homes.

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National energy savings potential of cellular shades: A measurement and simulation study

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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