Daylighting Skylight

Daylighting Skylights are the latest craze in the natural lighting industry, where sunlight and building interiors meet to properly illuminate spaces to levels best suited for the work done inside. Daylighting is the balance of design and technology to utilize sunlight as the primary source of light within the building. The practical use of Daylighting Skylights allows users to cut down on their electricity needs, become more environmentally responsible, and save utility costs all at the same time.

Though Daylighting Skylights all share a similar goal (to naturally illuminate building interiors), not all Daylighting options are the same. Each employs differing technologies to bring daylight indoors; some utilizing mirrors to reflect sunlight; some utilizing prismatic lenses to diffuse and distribute the light; some employing both. With many different Daylighting Skylights on the market, it is often best to research what is out there to find out what is the best solution for each building application. This will often depend upon the building’s ceiling height, the use of the space, the minimum amount of light required, the direction and layout of windows in relation to the equator, and budget.

In the Daylighting industry, there is one main differentiation between Daylighting Systems; whether they are Active or Passive. Passive Daylighting Skylights use a stationary system with no moving parts to best bring in sunlight during the daytime. Often, passive systems will use a mirror or diffusion lens to capture and distribute light to the best of it’s abilities while being highly dependent on the suns location. Active Daylighting Skylights, on the other hand, use moving parts to adjust during the day to capture, transfer, and deliver daylight indoors at increased levels than a typical Passive System. Ciralight’s Active Suntracker System, for example, uses solar power to move a mirror array to reflect consistent sunlight indoors from sunrise to sunset. While the majority of Daylighting Skylights do not have this capability, it allows the Suntracker skylight to bring in up to 300% more light than a typical skylight under the same conditions.

Daylighting Skylight

Daylighting Skylights serve many purposes; they save money by cutting down utility costs; reduce electricity consumption and, in turn, reduce carbon-dioxide emissions; bring sustainable design to buildings and ensure increased longevity; accentuate a commitment to environmental responsibility; and allow all who live and work within the rooms natural illumination an improved human experience. And the benefits continue from there!

The installation of Daylighting Skylights immediately brings with it financial savings that go beyond utility costs. Upon installation, building maintenance costs decrease due to the reduced use of artificial lighting during the daytime. These savings are seen in the extended maintenance cycle of replacement light bulbs, repairs to lighting fixtures, and the labor costs for all this work. Also, HVAC costs decrease because the need to counteract the heat generated from the light fixtures is reduced by the usage of cooler, diffused daylighting. Even in the workplace, employee productivity increases, morale’s higher, absenteeism decrease, along with a decrease in accidents and worker comp claims; all equating to a better looking bottom line.

Daylighting has many financial benefits as well as plenty of human-centric benefits too. In schools, students learning rates accelerate and test scores improve; in retail establishments, sales increase, customer loyalty improves, and customers also enjoy longer visits; in health care, patient recovery rates increase; and human health improves as Circadian rhythms are balanced, eyesight is supported, vitamin D deficiencies are curbed, and seasonal affect disorders are brought into balance. The power of Daylighting Skylights is amazing.

Ciralight’s Suntracker Skylights are the pinnacle of Daylighting. Using a Solar Powered GPS Controller to power itself and establish the Suntracker’s location, the unit uses an established program to rotate a Mirror Array within the Dome to consistently reflect sunlight indoors from just after sunrise to just before sunset. The Suntracker’s advanced technology has been tested to beyond a 30 year lifespan in extreme conditions and is protected by a full 10 year warranty.

If you have any questions about Ciralight’s Suntracker and/or Daylighting, please give us a call at (877) 520-5005 to talk to a Daylighting Advisor regarding your thoughts or needs pertaining to Daylighting Skylights.