An analysis of daylighting energy performance using computer simulation techniques

The computer program DOE-2. 1E was used as an analysis tool for investigating the thermal and energy performance of a generic air-conditioned office building in Hong Kong. Air-conditioning and electric lighting were the two key electricity end-users. It was found that both the peak cooling load and the electricity use could be reduced if daylighting schemes were incorporated in the building design and operation strategy. For the base-case reference building, the annual electricity use and the peak cooling load could be reduced by 12.8 and 11%, respectively. Parametric analysis was also conducted to correlate the peak electricity demand (PED) and the incremental electricity use (ΔEU) with two fenestration variables, namely the solar aperture and the day lighting aperture. It was found that PED and ΔEU could be correlated linearly with the solar aperture, and exponentially with the daylighting aperture.