Efficient Energy Use in Buildings by Means of Water Flow Glazing and Ground Source Heat Pump

The use of a glazed façade has the disadvantage of introducing an excess of energy in the building by means of solar radiation during the summer months. The absence of walls that could absorb this thermal load causes the interior space to overheat, needing therefore to cool it with high energy-consuming air-conditioning installations. The water flow glazing, combined with geothermal heat exchangers, provides the thermal inertia required to stabilize the temperature of the building’s envelope, reducing therefore the cost and increasing the energy efficiency. The flowing water absorbs the infrared solar radiation that strikes on glass façades and dissipates it in geothermal wells. This strategy can serve for both, reducing thermal loads and pre-heating hot domestic water. The goal of this paper is to study the integration of the water flow glazing technology with a ground source heat pump, and to evaluate the energy savings produced in real buildings. The results of this article prove that the use of this water flow glazing façade improves the energy performance of the building, reduce energy consumption for Air Conditioning in summer time and increases the thermal and visual comfort of its occupants.