Make the Most of Natural Light

Affordability

Daylight is a valuable resource available for free during the bulk of business hours. The cost involved in maximizing daylight will depend on the measures you decide to take: rearranging furniture or space partitions can be free. Light shelves and blinds are relatively inexpensive. Retrofitting windows and skylights require an initial investment.

Cost savings

Daylight is a free source of light energy. Maximizing your ability to use it will help you keep lights off during the day, saving you money by the minute. Costs may be offset by increased productivity and profitability.

Environmental considerations

Using daylight minimizes environmental impacts, as reduces require electricity generation and any corresponding greenhouse gases. Equipment or upgrades to improve the use of daylight generally involve low levels of product resource extraction, manufacturing or shipping.

What you need to know

Disperse the light. A single south-facing window can illuminate 20–100 times its area. Dispersing light reduces heat and glare while reducing the use of overhead lighting.

• Install blinds to aim light where needed. Blinds can also reduce unwanted heat and glare while making use of light. (Note: avoid blinds made of PVC to avoid off-gassing of volatile organic compounds.)
• Paint walls and ceilings in light colours and use reflective sheens on ceilings. This helps reflect light further from a window.
• Bring the daylight in high. When daylight is introduced high in the space, it can penetrate father into the interior. Also, light entering high in the space will likely bounce once or twice before hitting a task surface, providing a softer light to these critical areas.
• Install light shelves to reflect light deeper into the workspace, for natural overhead light. An exterior light shelf simultaneously acts as a shade to prevent excess direct sunlight from entering the space immediately adjacent to the window and as a reflector to redirect sunlight towards the interior ceiling plane. An interior light shelf acts primarily as a reflector, increasing daylight illumination levels deeper into the space and may shade some low-angle sunlight. Light shelf placement and depth will determine the amount of solar gain as well as glare through the window.
• Read about daylighting controls.

Rearrange. Organize your floor plan to take advantage of existing light in your space.

• Develop a floor plan for furniture, space dividers and windows to maximize light exposure and minimize glare and excess heat.
• Make the most of southern exposure. South facing windows tend to be great sources for light year round and offer beneficial heat effects. Lower angle winter sunlight will bring warmth and light through south facing windows. The summer sun is higher. Light will enter, but much of the heat is easily deflected. See our Business Heating and Cooling Guide for more information on getting the most from southern exposure.

Taking it further

• Make daylighting a priority in your next office move or renovation. Look for office space with southern exposure, which will maximize natural heat and light effects. (Read daylighting tips for various business sectors.)
• If your office, shop or restaurant building is not well designed to catch sunlight, put this on your wish list for your next move or investment in renovations. Sunlight brings beneficial heat as well as light, creating a more energy efficient space that can save money in the long-term. Your business is likely to further benefit through greater productivity or profitable consumer behaviour.
• Watch developments of new solar canopy technology for potential future application to your business.

FAQ

Will allowing more sunlight make the space too hot?
More light does not have to mean too much heat. South and west facing windows provide light and heat in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky. In the summer, shading these windows with awnings, blinds, or external foliage (http://www.bchydro.com/guides_tips/green-your-home/cooling_guide/shade_trees.html) can allow light without the extra heat. Properly placed light shelves can also reduce heat and glare close to the window while reflecting light into darker areas. Remember that most electric lighting also produces heat that is not as easily deflected as sunlight. Heat effects from lighting can increase air conditioning costs by as much as 20%.

There isn’t much sun here in the winter; how would daylighting make a difference?
Daylight doesn’t have to be bright sunlight to make a difference. In fact, direct sunlight can be too hot or cause glare. A few hours of winter light in the north or in a rainy coastal region is worth catching and people living in these areas benefit from maximizing their exposure to daylight. Make the most of the light available to you.

How can you have daylight without having it glare in peoples’ eyes or on computer screens?
Glare can be resolved by simply moving furniture and equipment. Most modern computers have glare reduction screens. As well, using blinds to direct sunlight upwards is a great way to keep down the glare and still let light in. Light shelves can be used in a similar way for even greater effect. Observe the hourly and seasonal shifts of light through your windows to determine the most effective ways to maximize light and minimize glare.