Solar control: Comparsion of two new systems with the state of the art on the basis of a new general evaluation method for facades with venetian blinds or other solar control systems

The author has developed two new sun-shading systems together with two different companies. These systems are compared with state of the art products on the basis of the new general evaluation method for facades with venetian blinds or other solar control systems that has been prestented in detail in [T.E. Kuhn, Solar control: a general evaluation method for facades with venetian blinds or other solar control systems to be used 'stand-alone' or within building simulation programs, Energy Buildings, in press]. The main advantage is that the method can take into account realistic user behaviour (different utilisation modes). Without the new methodology, it would not have been possible to recognise the weaknesses of products which are currently on the market. This recognition was the basis for the design of the two new products: The new stainless steel blind s-enn(R) selectively shields certain regions of the sky. This leads to a transparent appearance while direct insolation of the room and the associated glare is prevented in most cases. The special shape of the 'Genius slats' of a new venetian blind ensures good sun-shading properties which are relatively independent of the actual setting of the slats over broad ranges, which ensures robust performance despite so-called 'faulty operation'. In other words: The performance of the new venetian blind is relatively insensitive to different utilisation modes. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.