Investigation of the effects of curtain wall angle on energy consumption in buildings

Nowadays, glass curtain wall systems have been widely applied. There are many examples where these systems are applied to buildings with inclined facades. Inclined curtain walls are generally designed without considering the energy consumption values of the building. This situation affects the comfort conditions of the building users and the energy consumption of the building negatively. In this study, the effect of the curtain wall slope angle change on energy consumption was investigated. A building model was created with the DesignBuilder energy simulation program. The energy consumption values of the models with different curtain wall angles were calculated. In the study, the effect of the orientation of the inclined glass curtain wall was also examined. The cooling loads of the building in hot climate are higher than the heating loads. When the glass curtain wall is facing towards the south, the annual cooling loads increased by 7%, 15% and 22%, respectively, with the decrease of the facade angle from 90 & DEG; to 80 & DEG;,70 & DEG;,60 & DEG;. In addition, when the glass curtain wall is facing towards the south, the annual cooling loads decreased by 9%, 17% and 23%, respectively, as the facade angle increased from 90 & DEG; to 100 & DEG;, 110 & DEG; and 120 & DEG;. In the study, it was observed that the angle and direction of the glass curtain wall affects the solar energy gain, heating and cooling loads, and primary energy consumption values of the building.