An Evaluation of a New Building Energy Simulation Tool to Assess the Impact of Water Flow Glazing Facades on Maintaining Comfortable Temperatures and Generating Renewable Energy

Fernando Del Ama Gonzalo (), Belén Moreno Santamaría and Juan Antonio Hernandez Ramos
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Fernando Del Ama Gonzalo: Department of Sustainable Product Design and Architecture, Keene State College, 229 Main St, Keene, NH 03435, USA
Belén Moreno Santamaría: Department of Construction and Architectural Technology, Technical School of Architecture of Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Av., 28040 Madrid, Spain
Juan Antonio Hernandez Ramos: Department of Applied Mathematics, School of Aeronautical and Space Engineering, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-28

Abstract: Reducing energy consumption in buildings presents a challenge for the construction and architectural industries. Stakeholders in the building sector require innovative products and systems to reduce energy usage effectively. Building Energy Simulation (BES) tools are essential for understanding energy-related issues during the design phase. However, the existing BES tools are often complex and costly, making them inaccessible to many architects and engineers who lack the software expertise for integrating new systems into existing Building Energy Simulation frameworks. To address this gap, the authors of this article have developed a new tool that enables early-stage evaluation of building performance. Additionally, the tool includes Water Flow Glazing (WFG) as a construction element that is part of both the facade and the building’s heating and cooling system. The authors validated the methodology by comparing the results from the new tool with those from the commercial BES tool Indoor Climate and Energy IDA-ICE 5.0 in accordance with ASHRAE standards. The same cases were tested by comparing the indoor temperature of a room with the power absorbed by the water, as measured by both tools. A WFG facade can effectively help maintain comfortable room temperatures throughout both winter and summer while producing renewable thermal energy via water heat absorption. The accuracy of this tool was validated using the normalized root mean square error between results from the new tool and those from IDA-ICE 5.0, which remained below the maximum allowable error established by ASHRAE. Validation of the tool using an experimental prototype showed that a coefficient of determination (R 2 ) of 0.91 can be achieved through iterative refinement between the model and measured data.

Keywords: building energy simulation; water flow glazing; renewable thermal energy; indoor comfortable temperature (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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