The Benefits of Awnings

Awnings have advantages that contribute to more sustainable
buildings. First, awnings result in cooling energy savings by reducing direct solar gain through windows. This directly reduces the impact of global warming from greenhouse gas emissions.

A second benefit is that peak electricity demand is also reduced by awnings potentially resulting in reduced mechanical equipment costs. Reduced peak demand may also result in energy cost savings in the future if residential customers are charged higher
rates during peak periods.

Another outcome of peak demand reduction is the overall savings to utility companies and the public from a decreased need to build new generating capacity.

Cooling Energy Savings and Peak Demand Reduction

Tables 1 and 2 show the impact of awnings on reducing cooling energy and peak demand in twelve
U.S. cities with different climates. The cities are listed starting with the lowest cooling energy use (Seattle)
up to the highest (Phoenix). For each city, results are shown for two typical houses. The first house
has windows equally distributed on all four orientations while the second house has 80 percent of the
windows facing west (the case with the highest cooling energy use from heat gain). The results in Tables 1
and 2 represent the best case for savings when awnings are applied to clear double-glazed windows and operated seasonally (details appear in the full report).

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