A comparative analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windows

This study investigates a school building, a structure particularly sensitive to thermal and visual comfort, simulated across three cities in Iran, each characterized by distinct climatic conditions. For each scenario, the thermophysical properties of selected glazing types were modeled under contro...

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Main Authors: Sina Lashgari, Mohammad Hossein Jahangir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Energy Strategy Reviews
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X2500135X
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author Sina Lashgari
Mohammad Hossein Jahangir
author_facet Sina Lashgari
Mohammad Hossein Jahangir
author_sort Sina Lashgari
collection DOAJ
description This study investigates a school building, a structure particularly sensitive to thermal and visual comfort, simulated across three cities in Iran, each characterized by distinct climatic conditions. For each scenario, the thermophysical properties of selected glazing types were modeled under controlled parameters, including transparent and tinted states. The analysis focused on critical performance metrics, including average indoor air temperature during both peak hot and cold periods (August 17th and January 3rd), annual energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and natural daylight availability within a representative classroom. The results reveal that conventional glass outperformed smart glass in heating mode, consistently achieving indoor temperatures closer to the desired setpoint across all three cities. However, in cooling mode, transparent thermochromic windows exhibited superior performance, maintaining average indoor temperatures of approximately 28 °C in the hottest climate and 25 °C in the coldest climate during occupied hours. Compared to buildings equipped with conventional windows, the most substantial reduction in annual natural gas consumption was observed in Yazd, with a decrease of 47.8 %, while the greatest reduction in total annual energy consumption occurred in Tabriz, at 37.2 %. However, these energy savings were accompanied by a decline in thermal comfort, which remains a significant challenge in this study. The highest level of visual comfort during the midday hours was achieved with the thermochromic window in its colored state (approximately 300lux), considering the specific lighting requirements for educational use.
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spelling doaj-art-a7d13123fd4241a1be3e1b978e24ea5d2025-08-20T04:00:32ZengElsevierEnergy Strategy Reviews2211-467X2025-07-016010177210.1016/j.esr.2025.101772A comparative analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windowsSina Lashgari0Mohammad Hossein Jahangir1Department of Renewable Energy Technologies and Energy Resources Engineering, School of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, IranDepartment of Renewable Energy Technologies and Energy Resources Engineering, School of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; Building Energy Audit and Optimization Laboratory, School of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; Corresponding author. Department of Renewable Energy Technologies and Energy Resources Engineering, School of Energy Engineering and Sustainable Resources, College of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.This study investigates a school building, a structure particularly sensitive to thermal and visual comfort, simulated across three cities in Iran, each characterized by distinct climatic conditions. For each scenario, the thermophysical properties of selected glazing types were modeled under controlled parameters, including transparent and tinted states. The analysis focused on critical performance metrics, including average indoor air temperature during both peak hot and cold periods (August 17th and January 3rd), annual energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, and natural daylight availability within a representative classroom. The results reveal that conventional glass outperformed smart glass in heating mode, consistently achieving indoor temperatures closer to the desired setpoint across all three cities. However, in cooling mode, transparent thermochromic windows exhibited superior performance, maintaining average indoor temperatures of approximately 28 °C in the hottest climate and 25 °C in the coldest climate during occupied hours. Compared to buildings equipped with conventional windows, the most substantial reduction in annual natural gas consumption was observed in Yazd, with a decrease of 47.8 %, while the greatest reduction in total annual energy consumption occurred in Tabriz, at 37.2 %. However, these energy savings were accompanied by a decline in thermal comfort, which remains a significant challenge in this study. The highest level of visual comfort during the midday hours was achieved with the thermochromic window in its colored state (approximately 300lux), considering the specific lighting requirements for educational use.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X2500135XSmart windowsElectrochromicThermochromicThermal comfortVisual comfort
spellingShingle Sina Lashgari
Mohammad Hossein Jahangir
A comparative analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windows
Energy Strategy Reviews
Smart windows
Electrochromic
Thermochromic
Thermal comfort
Visual comfort
title A comparative analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windows
title_full A comparative analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windows
title_fullStr A comparative analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windows
title_full_unstemmed A comparative analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windows
title_short A comparative analysis of thermal comfort, energy consumption, pollutant emissions, and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windows
title_sort comparative analysis of thermal comfort energy consumption pollutant emissions and visual comfort in a school building utilizing electrochromic and thermochromic windows
topic Smart windows
Electrochromic
Thermochromic
Thermal comfort
Visual comfort
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X2500135X
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