Shading effects due to nearby buildings and energy implications

This paper investigates the shading effects due to neighbouring buildings in seven main business districts in Hong Kong. A total of 120 commercial buildings have been selected in the survey. It has been found that the degree of shading at the local peak design condition (i.e. 15:00 July) ranges from 25 to 31%. The older and more established districts tend to have slightly higher degrees of shading. Computer simulation techniques using the DOE-2.1E building energy program and a generic office building have been employed to analyse the amounts of heating, Ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) plant oversizing (as a result of solar heat overestimation) and to assess the likely energy penalty. It has been found that the total building cooling load is overestimated by about 2%. The corresponding plant oversizing seems to be marginal, and the impacts on the total building energy budget are not significant. Implications for energy efficiency in the design of commercial buildings are discussed and further research and development work is suggested. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.