External louvres may be an effective solution to overheating issues

There are numerous architectural features that can lower energy expenditure and can be considered in the design of a new office. Since awareness of environmental issues has risen – as well as energy costs – these technologies can be useful ways of combating either excessive heating by the sun and/or using the sun’s energy to heat the building where possible. Important amongst these features are the brise soleil and external louvres. The first is a catch-all term for different sun barriers, from the simple to fairly sophisticated versions. Glass louvres are another way of changing the amount of solar heating that a building receives.

Modern offices and other buildings often have expansive windows. This has a number of bonuses, including giving them a light, roomy feel, cutting down on the need for indoor lighting and, to an extent, heating – even in this country, where the sun cannot be relied upon. However, in the height of summer this can bring about a different problem, as the space quickly heats up and starts to recall the inside of a greenhouse. This, in turn, results in an environment that is so uncomfortable that a cooling system is necessary. Air conditioning has costs associated with it, as does heating. The issue therefore becomes: how to use the sun for heating when it is needed, but not to allow it to overheat the space in hotter weather?

The brise soleil and external louvres can be fixed in such a way as to exclude the sun’s rays at their most powerful. The angle of glass louvres, for example, can be adjusted to block high-angle sun characteristic of the warmest months of the year or the middle of the day. At the same time, they allow low-angle sun – characteristic of winter months – into the building. This means that you get the best of both worlds; the sun can be used for heating in chillier weather but excluded in hotter weather. In more sophisticated cases, the louvres are actually movable, meaning that they can be adjusted at the time if the weather is unseasonably warm (or cold). These systems are more complicated and therefore expensive, although the building may return these additional costs in lower heating and cooling bills. Nevertheless, even fixed systems can go a long way to reducing energy bills and making buildings more sustainable, all year round.

See http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information.