LV-22-C060 - Evaluation of an Intelligent Venetian Blind System for Building Energy Saving in Canada

This study is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of the intelligent blind system regarding annual energy saving in Canada. An intelligent blind system controlled by either Internet of Things (IoT) or other Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is believed to be a solution to conserve energy by blocking solar radiation during summer and minimizing unnecessary artificial lighting usage through dimming control. It can also improve the occupants’ visual comfort by tilting the slat angle to block incident beam sunlight barely. A simulated sample office is built in OpenStudio, and 5 different intelligent shading control strategies are analyzed. Factors affecting the blind performance, such as slat reflectance and slat angle control methodology, are evaluated. The results show that having the intelligent blind triggered by indoor temperature setpoint can significantly reduce annual energy consumption. The energy- saving potential can be reached as much as 9.3% comparing with the traditional uncontrolled manual Venetian blind. The CO2 emission reduction and energy cost savings are also quantified. It is concluded that intelligent blinds can be utilized to replace traditional manual blinds to achieve energy savings in Canada.