Q: How do I shade exterior walls in the HVAC building load calculations?

A: Use the Query Wall command.

Ribbon: DM HVAC->Rooms and Walls->  Query Wall

Pulldown Menu: DM HVAC->Building Definition->Walls->Query Wall

Select the wall to be shaded. The Specific Wall Information dialog box will open.

You can specify shading in two ways:

Shading Percentage

The Shading Percentage field is circled in green in the screenshot below. Set a shading percentage to be applied to the whole wall. It will be applied to the wall, door, and glass area. It will not vary based upon time of day. This choice favors simplicity over precision. It is a good choice when trying to account for a tree or the building across the street. Use your engineering judgment to determine how much of the envelope load you want to reduce based upon shading.

Complex Glass

The Complex Glass setting is circled in blue in the screenshot below. Here, you can specify a certain size window and specific overhangs and fins surrounding that window. The amount of shading will be calculated based upon the angle of the wall and time of day. Only the glass is shaded using this method. The wall and doors are not shaded. This choice is more complicated but provides greater precision regarding the specific amount of shading at various times of the day.