This paper presents a comprehensive analysis to study the balance between daylighting benefits and energy requirements (control of solar gains) in perimeter private office spaces with interior roller shades taking into account glazing properties, shading properties and control together with window size, climate and orientation in an integrated daylighting and thermal manner. Daylight autonomy and useful daylight illuminances were computed as a function of facade design parameters. A thermal simulation module using the explicit finite difference thermal network approach runs at the same time step and calculates heating, cooling and lighting source energy consumption as well as surface temperatures and operative temperature. Based on the daylighting results, lighting internal gains (continuous dimming control) are simultaneously input to the thermal module. The model also considers the air in the gap between shade and interior glass as a separate thermal node. Detailed results for Chicago and Los Angeles showed that windows with visible transmittance higher than 50% have the ability to allow enough daylight into the space for all locations and orientations for window-to-wall ratios higher than 50%. Useful daylight illuminances between 500 and 1000 lux were considered in detail it was found that this index can be maximized for specific window-to-wall ratios and that depends on the glazing properties and fabric properties for each orientation. Moreover, the complex interactions of the studied parameters and their impact on the heating, cooling and lighting energy performance revealed an interesting result: windows occupying 30-50% of the facade can actually result in lower total energy consumption for most cases with automated shading. This illustration of daylighting benefits can be realized only if the integration of daylighting and thermal climate-based analysis is modeled efficiently and depends on glazing and shading properties and control. Finally, best designs for each orientation and location were pointed out based on both daylighting and thermal results. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.