Solatube® Daylighting Systems can save you
up to 70% of a building's energy consumption

With the emphasis increasingly focused on energy usage and CO2 emissions from new and existing buildings, are architects and specifiers missing the obvious, and simple, solutions? A massive amount of time and resources is being spent on looking at alternative heat sources, and new and improved super insulators, and yet a large number of building professionals are still missing this really simple, and immediate, solution.

Tubular daylighting devices specified into buildings, particularly those occupied primarily during the day such as schools, medical centres, offices, retail units and factories, could dramatically reduce the requirement for electric light – and therefore the power required to run those lights. In addition, electric lighting is also a primary cause of heat build-up and therefore places an increasing load on the requirement for cooling within a building.

Typical energy usage

Whilst every building will vary, the average school will spend around 50% of its energy budget on lighting. Depending on the design of the school and by specifying a highly efficient daylighting system, such as Solatube with its 99.7% reflective tube material, it would not be unreasonable to assume that around 70% of the lighting requirement could be fulfilled simply by making more use of daylight — clearly making a major impact in the amount of energy used.

In addition to the cost savings, there is well documented evidence as to the improvement of students' performance when studying in naturally lit conditions. At the other end of the scale, in factories, warehouses and large retail spaces, where large, bright, energy-hungry fittings are the norm, energy usage for lighting can be as much as 70%.

Optimum performance

No other tubular daylight device will transfer as much light as a Solatube Daylighting System thanks to the superior technologies incorporated into every Solatube system. Solatube is also the only rigid tubular daylighting device to hold BBA Certification. Sainsburys are just one of many forward-thinking companies who have recognised the benefits of Solatube Daylighting Systems and installed them in their eco-store (below).

See the light – and save energy (and emissions)

Some architects and designers have already embraced this technology, but many buildings are still being designed or renovated with little thought to bring daylight into internal spaces. It would be inconceivable to imagine presenting a proposal to a client where the windows have been ‘left out’, and yet it seems acceptable to ignore the opportunities that could be embraced with tubular daylighting devices.

More and more enlightened organisations are now specifying tubular daylighting devices in all new-build projects, but there is still a long way to go in ensuring that the maximum benefit from this free resource is fully utilised.

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Last updated: 14th June 2010