A building’s solar characteristics can be determined through a number of different graphical and numerical simulations. This assessment of solar path impact on the building exterior and interior can inform passive solar studies, solar shading and solar gains.
IES Consulting can undertake detailed solar tracking, solar pattern, daylight level and solar gain analysis based on real weather data. They can work with you to incorporate this into your design process at the relevant stages; feeding back on different iterations right from early masterplanning.
Solar analysis can help determine the potential impact of exterior shading on a building, quantifying and comparing reductions in solar heat gain and reduced equipment requirements. In addition, as the design progresses such studies can be used to identify periods of time when daylight penetration could pose challenges such as glare, in turn informing the direction of further analysis.
Plus, information from solar studies can inform and enhance the accuracy of any thermal simulation – increasing the accuracy of predicted temperatures, energy gains and loads.
