Study Proves: Rooms up to 9°C Cooler in Summer Thanks to Intelligent Shading

When a heatwave is raging outside, it’s almost impossible to keep indoor temperatures at a comfortable level without air conditioning. At least that’s the popular opinion. A study carried out by the Laboratory for Building Physics at Graz University of Technology has now reached a very different conclusion:

So just lower the shutters and you’re good? Not quite. The scientists are certain: “Controlling the shading with a good smart home system has clear advantages over purely manual control.”

With completely closed shading throughout the day, average indoor temperatures are higher than with optimized, automated shading control. The reason is that permanently closed shading – including at night – prevents both efficient ventilation and heat from being released to the cooler night sky.

For optimum results, “integrating the ventilation […] into a smart home system […] is also very advantageous.” It contributes to efficient ventilation at night in order to benefit as much as possible from the lower outside temperatures.

Tip: Only Ventilate at the Right Time!

“Ventilation at sometimes high outside temperatures […] is problematic. This can […] bring subjective benefits in the short term due to the feeling of higher evaporation with a noticeable draught, but heats up the rooms in the long term. If possible, ventilation should only take place in the cooler evening, night and morning hours and a fan should be used during the day.”

Even without an automatic ventilation system, your smart home can help you to ventilate properly by informing you to close the window if the windows are open and the conditions are unfavorable.

Up to 80% of the Irradiated Solar Energy Can Be Blocked

“Well-planned, well-coordinated and well-executed shading can make a significant contribution to comfort, but also to reducing energy consumption.” Up to 80% of the solar energy irradiated on a hot summer’s day can be blocked by automatic shading.

The topic of shading could become even more important in the future.

“In the course of climate change, it can be assumed that the shading of houses and apartments will become increasingly important. In combination with a good control system, in which other components such as heating, ventilation and lighting are integrated, the effectiveness can be further increased.”

Automatic Shading – Also Useful in Spring, Fall and Winter

The study is not only concerned with the situation in summer. The scientists also investigated the conditions in winter and the “transitional periods”. The result: even then, automatic shading has a positive effect on the indoor climate. And on energy efficiency.

In winter: “The knowledge that shading can also contribute effectively to comfort and energy consumption reduction in winter is unfortunately not widespread enough.”

As a kind of “thermal blanket”, shading can reduce the night-time heat output of the house via glass surfaces by acting as an additional insulating layer between the warm ‘inside’ and the cold “outside”.

In the transitional period: Depending on the weather conditions, shading should be used to prevent overheating during the day or to cool down at night (as a “thermal blanket”). “Particularly in this transitional period, a good smart home control system can effectively contribute to the goal of minimizing energy consumption while optimizing comfort for users.”

Concrete Results of the Study

Based on the reference value for a conventional home in August, we have prepared some specific results from the study for you below (shading from 1 W/m²):

Completely closed shading should only be the exception, at least during the day and when people are present. When we talk about comfort in connection with shading, we are talking about more than just the perceived temperature. Optimum daylight management, for example, is also important for well-being. “Attention must be paid to the lighting conditions in the interior when people are present […]. In any case, there should be no “spelunking idyll” when people are present.”

Your Complete Package for Smart Shading

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