Envelope

New Facilities and Renovation Decisions

New facilities or renovations can be designed to control heat flow and light energy in a way to minimize energy costs. The key is to examine the various strategies for envelope energy conservation and to select those strategies which provide enough savings to justify their expense. These strategies include: incorporating overhangs to shade windows; shading glass surfaces from radiant heat while introducing natural daylight into a building, or selecting the appropriate glazing material for exposed window surfaces; selecting the correct materials for opaque surfaces (walls and roof); and using natural ventilation and landscape materials where appropriate.