The Impact of Using Electrochromic on the Cooling Load in Offices at Hot and Dry, Hot and Humid, and Cold Climates in Iran

Reducing building energy consumption is one of the sustainable architecture principles. Since nearly half of consumed energy in the buildings is lost through windows, many studies have been conducted to find solutions for energy conservation and solar radiation control. Application of electrochromic smart glass is one of those solutions. In order to have optimum building selection, the evaluation of the effectiveness of this type of glasses in various climates in Iran is necessary. So far no research has been conducted on this issue. In the present study, the effect of using electrochromic smart glass on the cooling load of an office building is investigated in three cities of Bushehr (with hot-humid climate), Shiraz (with hot-dry climate), and Tabriz (with cold climate). For this purpose, a three-storey office building is simulated in Design Builder software and the annual cooling load of the building is calculated in three modes with 6mm plain glass, double-glazed glass and electrochromic smart glass. The results show that in Bushehr, Shiraz, and Tabriz, the application of electrochromic glass has a significant effect on the reduction of cooling load and, thus, is appropriate. In Bushehr, the application of electrochromic glass has reduced the cooling load of the building by 19% and 8% compared with the ordinary glass and the double-glazed one, respectively. In Shiraz and Tabriz, the cooling load also decreases by 28% and 10%. These results show that the efficiency of electrochromic glass in hot-dry and cold climate is higher than hot-humid climate.