We show the development and implementation of a new methodology that can be used to evaluatesthe energy and comfort performance of fenestration in non-residential buildings. The methodologysis based on the definition of a fenestration system figure of merit. The figure of merit issdetermined by considering five non-dimensional performance indices representing heating energy,scooling energy, cooling energy peak, thermal comfort, and visual comfort. These indices weresderived by performing a regression analysis of several thousand hour-by-hour building heatstransfer simulations of a prototypical office building module using the DOE-2 simulation program.

The regression analysis resulted in a series of simplified algebraic expressions that relatedsfenestration configuration variables to performance parameters. We implemented these equationssin a hypermedia environment ? one that integrates graphics, sound, animation, and calculationssequences ? and created a prototype fenestration performance design tool. Inputs required by thesprogram consist of geographic location, building type, perimeter space, and envelope definition.sOutputs are the calculated performance indices for electricity and fuel use, peak electric load, andsthermal and visual comfort.