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Best Practice Guide |
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Food and Beverage Growers and Processors |
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LightingDaylighting in Big Boxes
Many people are familiar with the business maxim, "Cheaper, faster, better - pick any two of the three." Unlike most things in life, though, daylighting achieves all three. Daylighting is cheaper. The only investment needed is for design and installation of equipment related to the fenestration, e.g., a skylight, a light tube, or a clerestory. In general, horizontal installations like skylights, light tubes, clerestories and light wells are easier to install and more cost-effective than their vertical counterparts (windows). Adding photosensor controls allows you to maximize energy savings by automatically shutting off or dimming superfluous fixtures according to changes in the level of natural light. This combination of technologies maintains a consistent light level throughout the day and the seasons, and reduces peak operating costs. Daylighting is better. Daylight literally outshines any artificial lamp on the market - it is brighter, more appealing, renders color more accurately, and is much better for visual acuity. This is important for visually oriented businesses, such as advertising and design firms or laboratories and doctor's offices. For others, it may be necessary to display colors precisely, such as in galleries and retail shops. Daylighting provides high-quality light without relying on expensive artificial fixtures. And, while daylighting may not be "faster," workers often find that they are. Daylighting reduces eyestrain and is known to have subtle effects on productivity and comfort. Studies have shown that daylighting in schools improves student math and memory skills and increases sales in major retail centers. Anecdotal evidence supports these findings, suggesting that workers increase productivity and reduce absenteeism when provided with natural light. Daylit spaces tend to be designed with large expanses of windows that provide a view of the outdoors, another factor found to contribute to occupant comfort and worker productivity. If you are already planning to renovate the building envelope or if you have the financial resources to invest in additional efficiency upgrades, consider the many benefits-and long-term savings-of natural light. Daylighting used in conjunction with photosensors can save you as much as 50 percent or more of your lighting costs, or $0.05 to 0.20 per square foot. Thus, a 100,000-sq.-ft. building could save between $5,000 to 20,000 per year, every year. Warehouses, distribution centers and industrial and manufacturing facilities are all ideally suited for daylighting because of the large expanses of flat rooftops common in these buildings. In general, horizontal apertures, like skylights and light tubes, are cheaper and easier to install than vertical apertures, like windows and clerestories. Advantages of daylighting include:
Designers can utilize a free online calculator, SkyCalc, to assess the optimal number and size of skylights for a given project. Resources Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Windows and Daylighting: Daylighting. Pacific Gas & Electric, Daylighting Initiative. Architectural Energy Corporation. Sensor Placement + Optimization Tool (SPOT) is available for free online. SPOT assists designers with proper placement of photosensor controls. |