Why Use Daylight Harvesting?

Control systems with seamlessly integrated daylight harvesting react and interact with natural light levels to maintain ideal lighting conditions while greatly reducing costs.

A daylight harvesting system coupled with TLC's control system will also produce less waste heat, decreasing the cooling load of the entire HVAC system and reducing overall electric usage.

The best way to capitalize on available daylight is to use a control system that allows customized light levels and time of day control to reduce energy use and lower peak power demand.

Utilizing the sun's energy delivers much more than energy savings. Higher illumination levels and light quality improves attitude and visual acuity for all tasks, as well as those in the learning environment. The Heschong Mohone Studies verify student's tests scores increased 20% in math and 26% in reading. The study additionally included information on improved comfort of office workers and increased retail sales.

Daylighting provides indoor full-spectrum, natural daylight which:

• Saves electricity: It greatly reduces the need to use electrical lighting during daylight hours.
• Maximizes color perception: It has a color rendition of index of 100 (compared with cool-white fluorescent lighting alone which has an index of 67). So colors are rich, true and vibrant. Technical comparisons of different lighting types and their benefits can be found here.
• Enhances object definition: Improves visual acuity by providing superior recognition of surface detail, text and graphics.
• Is cooler: Daylight contains half as much heat per unit of illumination as other sources.
• Is easy on the eyes: Daylighting creates no harsh glare, intense brightness, hot spots or flicker.

Daylighting uses direct and ambient sunlight striking an impact resistant acrylic dome. A reflective light shaft transmits sunlight onto an interior diffusing lens that spreads the light evenly over the space below. Integrated lighting and lighting controls may be added as additional features. Also, a "So-Dark" Motorized Shade Screen can be added directly into the skylight frame. It allows the skylight to be darkened to any degree of darkness at the flip of a wall switch.

Click here to find answers for common questions about daylighting.
Click here to learn more about Passive lighting.