(10 Tips Shading) Littel Procedures and Big Saving
Shading plays an important role in reducing solar convection especially in hot places where the temperature reaches 50°C. Where it is only possible to live in this harsh climate by using modern air conditioners almost most of the year season. The higher the temperatures, the higher the amount of convection to be carried, and therefore the amount of energy spent and the amount of electricity bill to be paid. Since solar radiation is one of the most important thermal loads that must be alleviated during the summer. Shading is one of the most commonly used tools in addition to thermal insulation in mitigating the effect of solar load. Shading is used in several ways.
Architectural, mechanical, solutions can be through advanced controls, making use of tree shading, the use of light paint and high-reflective materials.
Shading Suggestions
1- Shading by architectural solutions that are concentrated above windows and glass doors and at a certain inclination angle that helps light enter during the day while at the same time reducing the penetration of solar rays during peak hours. These solutions can be fixed or mobile such as day-controlled awnings that can reduce building loads and improve the energy efficiency of the building.
2- The roof is one of the most areas in the building on which most of the solar brightness is concentrated throughout the day, so it is important to insulate the roof well to reduce energy consumption, and one of the forms of insulation is the presence of a reflective surface made up of highly reflective materials with light colors that increase the rate of radiation reflection.
3- Also, the surface has various devices, including air conditioners, so it is important to try to shade that space as much as possible to reduce the solar rays on the surfaces of the appliances, reduce their absorption of heat and improve their performance.
This can be done by installing air conditioning on the eastern side of the building roof and using the shading produced by the walls on the roof behind the appliances on the western side, thus blocking the sun’s rays in the afternoon and, if possible, extending the shading over the appliances without preventing air flow through them.
4- The directions of the building and the main entrances play a major role in reducing the periods of sunlight entering the interior. As it is preferable to face the windows towards the south with the appropriate shading that contributes to reducing the entry of solar rays in the summer.
5- Comprehensive architectural planning for residential and commercial units, so that the adjacent buildings are distributed according to their height and orientation, which enables the benefit of the shading of the adjacent buildings on each other.
6- Taking advantage of the growth of trees in the garden and on the sides of the building or the roof and windows in a way that helps contribute to shading the building and reducing its temperature. Doing that by selecting a suitable type of trees and plants. Trees with deciduous leaves in winter can be chosen to take advantage of shade in summer and sunlight entering in winter.
7- In advanced cases of building design, it is possible to benefit from shading above the roof by solar heating devices with generating heat for air conditioners with absorption circuit chillers, and thus we benefit from heat in generating cool, especially in the hot weather.
8- It is possible to reduce the size of the windows, especially on the western side of the building, and replace the composite glass to be of the UV reflective type. This also helps to reduce the convection inside the building while keeping the light entering the building comfortably most of the day, because we do not want to replace natural lighting with artificial lighting and thus increase energy costs in another way.
9- Interior curtains and their covering of windows is a type of shading during the period of extreme heat in the daytime, which also helps in reducing the convection inside the building.
10- Solar panels can be used as a kind of shading in places and roofs with large areas by utilizing thermal energy in heating or to produce electricity.
The bottom line:
Shading buildings in hot weather is one of the tools that can reduce the solar convection on buildings. and thus, can save on energy bills. Even maintenance costs of these appliances could be reduced by reducing their working hours although protecting them from direct sunlight.
If shading is taken into account from the beginning of the architectural design of the building, such as the direction of construction, the space of the windows and the distribution of the buildings in relation to their height and the benefit of their shading.
The choice of raw materials for windows, reflectors and awnings is important to reduce heat loads. Also, it increases the effectiveness of air conditioning. Planting shade trees and suitable plants on windows and roofs can also help reduce external convection. Adding construable moving shades in the right places beside choosing thick curtains that reduce the glare of the sun’s rays. The use of light colors for the building paint helps to reduce the absorption of heat from the sun’s rays.
Or even solar thermal energy can be freely exploited to generate energy through shading by thermal or electric solar panels. All of this helps reduce energy consumption with simple, feasible measures and prolongs the life of devices. Ultimately, simple solutions can contribute to reducing energy consumption and providing comfort to the population.
This can be done by installing air conditioning on the eastern side of the building roof and using the shading produced by the walls on the roof behind the appliances on the western side, thus blocking the sun’s rays in the afternoon and, if possible, extending the shading over the appliances without preventing air flow through them.