Daylighting Doesn’t Have to Cost More

I am writing in response to the article on daylighting—“Daylighting: Energy and Productivity Benefits”—in EBN Vol. 8, No. 9 (September 1999). Although I am very pleased to see such a commitment of both article space and staff time to this important topic, it was disappointing to see an exclusive focus on high-cost daylighting design approaches—especially noting that it costs more—a discouraging message to send.

The article discusses energy savings in great detail but gives little coverage to low-cost/no-cost approaches that include design elements that reduce connected wattage for lights and downsizing of mechanical systems, and avoid the use of expensive controls and dimming devices. If we are to realize the benefits of daylighting and work toward mainstreaming this design feature, we must also look at low-/no-cost approaches.

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