Development of a dynamic envelope system with electro-chromic grazing

The need to reduce buildings energy consumption comes along with the increasing demand for a higher thermo-hygrometric and visual well-being added to the well-being concept, which is subjective as it varies according to the users and to the activities that they carry out, has to be added to. The market has responded to these needs through the development of dynamic envelope components, that are able to change their performances in response to specific contingencies. Their high performances are granted not only by their morphology and composition, but mainly by the control strategies that regulate their behaviour. The test carried out by ITC-CNR has compared the performance in real operating conditions of a traditional window and that of an electrochromic glass. With the aid of specific experimental testing facilities, which have been conveniently calibrated and monitored, the most important thermo-hygrometric and visual well-being indexes have been detected, and the energy consumption for the room heating and cooling has been calculated. The electrochromic glass control system has been modified on the basis of the obtained results, in order to improve its performance and to reach the maximum levels of both energy saving and internal well-being.