The significant increase in construction industry demand with its negative effects on energy consumption is particularly evident in areas with severe climatic factors. Here, the designers aim at providing comfort with the least amount of energy, and consequently have resorted to using different software tools to choose the optimal solution in the early phase of design to avoid time and cost losses. The use of smart innovative technologies such as electrochromic (EC) glazing may provide an important contribution in reducing consumptions while providing good thermal and visual comfort conditions. Nonetheless, as shown in the literature, such glazing should be used and managed carefully to avoid any adverse effects or low performance. Thus, a parametric simulation was carried out using Rhinoceros and Grasshopper to assess the advantages in terms of energy use resulting from use of EC glazing in residential buildings as a function of façade orientation and window-to-wall ratio (WWR) with reference to the city of Biskra, located in the northeastern region of Algeria. Eight main orientations and ten WWR scenarios were investigated in order to evaluate the benefit of using this technology in the selected climatic region. The research results proved the benefit of using EC glazing in all orientations, with energy savings ranging from 35.88% in the northern façade to 60.47% in the southwestern façade.

One of the most important functions for windows is to connect the interior space to the outside, as well as having a role in ventilation and natural lighting. However, as it is considered the weakest link in the building envelope, in terms of thermal insulation, designers in the areas with severe climatic factors, tend to minimize the window ratio, without taking into account the importance of the other functions, in providing the user’s comfort. This research aims to investigate the ability of electrochromic glazing to solve limited ratio problem and give designers more flexibility. A case study located in a hot and dry area was compared with several scenarios where electrochromic glazing was used in various ratios. Simulations were made using parametric design tools based on Rhinoceros and Grasshopper, which are among the most used software by designers. The study concluded that electrochromic glazing was useful in increasing the window-to-wall ratio and improving the building opening on the outside without having a negative impact on building energy performance.