Interior lighting remains a large component of electricity use in non-residential buildings. In California, electric lighting has both a direct effect on peak load, and an indirect effect by increasing cooling requirements during summer peak hours. Effective daylighting combined with electric lighting dimming controls can directly offset electric lighting energy by reducing lighting levels when necessary to reduce the load on the cooling system.
The CLTC is excited to announce a new publication in our Lighting Best Practices series, the Daylight Harvesting for Commercial Buildings Guide! This publication provides guidance towards meeting and exceeding California's Building Energy Efficiency Standards for daylight harvesting.
LD+A— Core sunlighting is a practical, natural alternative for interior illumination deep within a building. Unlike other solar technologies, core sunlighting involves capturing sunlight at the building envelope, concentrating it, transporting it and regulating its release deep within the building at useful indoor lighting levels, typically only 1 percent of outdoor illumination. Significant electrical energy savings can be realized if the system incorporates automated electric lighting controls that substantially dim or completely turn off the electric lights.
Winner of the top award for Research, Publications, Software, and Measuring Devices at Lightfair International 2014, the IES's RP-5-13: Recommended Practice for Daylighting Buildings includes the most up-to-date technological solutions and data for addressing the challenges of daylighting while maximizing its benefits.
The Core Sunlighting Alliance is a group of leaders in the fields of design, construction, energy-efficient technology development, and energy regulation who are committed to accelerating the commercialization and widespread adoption of core sunlighting systems.
Core sunlighting systems deliver sunlight deep into multi-story building cores, where daylight is not available through skylights or windows. An effective core sunlighting system offers physiological and psychological benefits to occupants while dramatically improving the quality and color rendering of lighting, reducing lighting electricity use up to 75%, and reducing electricity loads during peak demand periods.
To address California’s critical need for targeted, practical technology improvements that reduce lighting energy use and advance building energy-efficiency, in 2009, the California Energy Commission initiated a comprehensive lighting research, development, demonstration and outreach program in partnership with the California Lighting Technology Center.
