Effectiveness of External Wall Shading in Reducing the Energy Consumption of Desert Buildings

Shading has been always recommended as a way for solar control and reduction of heat gain in buildings. It blocks direct solar radiation of the hot desert environments, where cooling loads are significant. A number of publications addressed the effect of shading wall openings, such as windows, on energy consumption. However, a limited number of publications addressed the effectiveness of the shading of the solid parts of walls under extreme desert conditions. This paper investigates the energy saving potential of the shading of external solid walls of buildings. Simulations were conducted using the EnergyPlus Software. Annual energy consumption was calculated for two types of wall configurations and different wall shading alternatives. Values were derived for different cities having different climatic conditions. Conclusions were drawn on the best utilization of external wall shading methods.