Sun is the prime source of light of the earth. Daylighting is the significant way to use that light. Basically, daylighting is defined as the regulated entry of this natural light into a building.
Natural light is justified as 'clean' light in comparison to conventional electric lighting. This natural light is free of electrical flicker. Electrical flicker creates in most florescent lights due to their cycled AC (Alternating Current) power source. In most LED's, it occurs to preserve power. Full spectrum of visible solar colors exists in natural light which is very essential and significant for our eye vision.
A good daylighting systems should deliver natural light without glare and should have very little impact on 'envelope' of the building.
Why Daylighting?
The gift of nature is daylight. It is essential for us as like as clean air and water. Our life survives on it. Sometimes we are separated from this basic need.
Natural light has not only artistic benefits of full spectrum lighting but also has significant impact on our health. It helps to maintain our health. It has been researched by researchers that natural light with a balanced spectrum can help maintaining our biological time. Natural light also energizes our body.
Sometimes, due to not having natural light people suffer from sleep depression, sleep disorders and hormone imbalances which cause negative impact on our health, concentration, and performance.
On the other hand, a buildings with sufficient daylight creates happiness and productivity in our life. These are significantly developed with the help of high quality natural daylight.
High quality daylighitng can significantly decrease the use of electric lighting which contributes to save energy and money. It also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Benefits of Daylighting
Daylighting has some significant benefits. These are as follows:
- It is observed that daylighting can develop people's lives in many ways. For example, in office settings, daylighting can increase productivity and worker satisfaction.
- Natural light contributes to overcome patient's disease in healthcare. It also develops sleep cycles.
- During study, daylighting increases our learning speed and attention.
- Sun light contains vitamin D which is essential for our body. It is important for the growth of children.
- In factory, warehouse and industrial settings, daylighting delivers higher quality of full-spectrum lighting in comparison to standard HID lights which increases the productivity of workers and also keep the floor environment healthy.
- Daylighitng saves energy of the building and improves quality of our life to include daylighting.
Options to include Daylighting
There are lot of options to include daylight into your building space. But, it is necessary to design and plan each option very carefully. For example, skylights and windows are common solutions for simple daylight, but each have their respective disadvantage. Windows provide views and perimeter daylight. They can be good or poor source of daylight depending on building orientation in a particular season and time of the day. Direct sunlight flow through the glass produces bright spots or hot-spots which move according to the move of sun. These types of problems also occur with most skylights and even tubular skylights. Sometimes, perimeter or skylight solutions need shades or other systems. It is done by turning off the sun which decreases the benefits to occupants and the operation of the building.
For industrial, commercial and multistory apartment buildings, it is important to plan and design daylighting system very carefully so that it does not decrease building efficiency and occupant productivity. It should also be considered that it is not allowing excessive heat gain or loss.