Daylighting....defined.

What is daylighting?

Daylighting is the use of indirect natural lighting to illuminate the interior of buildings, reducing the need for electric lighting.

According to a presentation given by Larry Schoff with the United States Department of Energy Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Department, the benefits that daylighting offers are as follows:



•Offers a plesant and appealing environment
•A natural interior environment with excellent color rendering
•Proven improved academic performance
•Significant energy and demand savings
•The luminous efficacy of direct beam sunshine is about 113 lumens per watt, and a clear northern sky is 30% better.
•Unlike electric lighting, in the case of daylighting the "watts" don't make the meter turn any faster.
•Daylighting not only supplies lumens for free, but also results in a lower cooling load.
•Good daylighting designs lower A/C demand and allow for specifying smaller coolers
Schoff also points out that dimming is a necessary part of a good daylighting system.

To view his complete presentation, follow this link:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/F_Lansing__Daylighting_94544_7.pdf