With global warming accelerating, solar shading should be the first solution in the fight against overheating buildings

According to new research findings, the time is ripe to make automated solar shading mandatory in the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

Smart shading could reduce energy consumption for air conditioning in European buildings by up to 60% by 2050. Thus, up to 100 million tons of CO₂-emissions avoided and 285 billion euros saved. This is according to scientific research by Guidehouse, which is the first to compare the impact of solar shading with the use of air conditioning in buildings. According to ES-SO, the umbrella organization of the European solar shading industry, the study proves the urgent need for automated solar shading to make buildings more climate proof and energy efficient. ES-SO is therefore pushing for an obligation within the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

Fight against overheating in buildings

As an umbrella organization, ES-SO is convinced that automated solar shading is the best defense against climate change and can be a structural part of the solution. Based on the results of the Guidehouse study, ES-SO urges EU policymakers to make solar shading mandatory in the EPBD, as the first solution - i.e. before active cooling such as air conditioning - in the fight against overheating.

Anders Hall, president of ES-SO: “Buildings are today the biggest energy consumers in Europe. They consume 40% of our energy and are responsible for 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. The Guidehouse study results are downright impressive, with potential energy savings of up to 60% for building cooling by 2050. This research shows that there is no room for delay and that solar shading must become the first solution in the fight against overheating in buildings. We are already looking forward to a future where buildings will be more climate resilient and less energy dependent.”

Study: shading vs. air conditioning

Climate change goes hand in hand with higher temperatures and longer, more intense heat waves. Buildings requiring air conditioning are estimated to increase by 60%. Guidehouse, which acts as a consultant to public and commercial markets around the world, analyzed the impact of shading versus air conditioning use in buildings in its study.

The simulations and the different scenarios do not lie: if smart shading is used as the first measure before active cooling (preferred scenario), we can stop the growth of buildings that need air conditioning between now and 2050.

Positive impact of solar shading

Guidehouse's study results show a clear positive impact of automated solar shading on the planet as well as society and people.

• Planet: strategy for CO₂-reduction
  Between now and 2050, up to about 100 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions (*) can be avoided in the Guidehouse study's preferred scenario. This reduction of 100 million tons of CO₂-emissions can be compared to the annual CO2 emissions of 22 million cars.
  (*) The CO₂-factors are aligned with the 2021 EPBD Impact Assessment and are based on the European Commission's Climate Target Plan 2030.
• Society: strategy to save energy first
  In the preferred scenario, solar shading can reduce energy consumption for cooling in buildings in Europe by 60%. According to the Guidehouse study, this energy saving (of about 870 Terawatt-hours of electricity) is equivalent to the final energy consumption of Spain, which has 47 million inhabitants.
• People: strategy for greater cost efficiency
  The study further shows that solar shading is a much more cost-effective investment than active cooling, such as air conditioning, given that this solution could save up to 285 billion euros between now and 2050. This amount is comparable to the GDP of countries such as Finland and Luxembourg combined.

The potential contribution of solar shading to the European Green deal is enormous, also states Shady Attia, professor of sustainable architecture and building technology at the University of Liege. “Today less than 50% of buildings are equipped with solar shading, many of which are not automated. The results of the Guidehouse study confirm my belief that shading is a much better solution than air conditioning for our planet, and that we urgently need to consider automated shading to make buildings more climate-resilient and energy-efficient.”

(1) Source: Shading, Guidehouse Germany GmbH, November 5, 2021