Energy reduction
in buildings and
the advantage of
natural daylight.
Published: Feb 2013
Energy reduction in builidings and the advantage of natural daylight.
The benefits of
Natural Daylight
Amendments to building regulations and
the rising cost of energy bills are prompting
a major mindset shift in the need
for natural daylight within commercial
and industrial buildings.
The environmental impact of harnessing natural
daylight is clear; not least the reduced demand for
electric lighting and lower CO2 emissions as a result.
The cost impact of this in today’s economic climate
also cannot be underestimated.
Furthermore, the infusion of
abundantly available natural
daylight also contributes to a
healthier and happier working
environment promoting
improved productivity levels.
If properly exploited, daylight has an increasingly
critical role to play in a building’s efficient operational
performance and the length of a building’s life.
For advice and guidance on your building roof and or envelope
contact info@envo-care.com or tony.cornwell@envo-care.com
ASDA Rochdale
Energy reduction in builidings and the advantage of natural daylight.
Delivering on
Daylight Demand
Windows are not a sufficient solution
in the increasing demand for daylight.
On average, natural light from a window
will only reach six meters into a room.
By contrast, roof lights will fill even
the largest of structures with light.
A common misconception of roof lights is that
their reduced insulation in comparison to the
roof panels around them will result in an increase
in a building’s heating output.
This is not the case – solar gain during daylight
hours can actually lead to savings in heating costs.
This is further supported by independent research
carried out by De Montford University on the
impact of roof lights on reducing a building’s
CO2 emissions, which irrefutably concludes
that roof lights do save energy.
For advice and guidance on your building roof and or envelope
contact info@envo-care.com or tony.cornwell@envo-care.com
The overall energy
benefit delivered
by roof lights is
dependent upon
the following areas:
Total area of roof lights
In a well-designed building, roof lights
typically cover 15-20% of the roof area.
This amount ensures that sufficient
amount of light enters the building and
reduces the need for artificial lighting.
Maintenance of roof lights
Once installed, it is then essential that
roof lights be maintained to ensure
the maximum amount of light fills the
building. Neglect would result in them
becoming brittle and dangerous as
well as far less effective as a natural
source of light.
Managing illumination
requirements
Electric lighting is by far the largest
expenditure in a building’s running
cost. A combination of well-maintained
roof lights and an intelligent lighting
control system to ensure lights are
not on when daylight is available will
therefore deliver dramatic savings
in capital expenditure and a reduced
carbon footprint.
Royal Opera House
Energy reduction in builidings and the advantage of natural daylight.
Ensuring Regulatory
Compliance
Reducing carbon emissions is
paramount to achieving Part L
Building Regulation compliance,
which stipulates that major savings
should come from building services
such as heating and lighting.
This is something that roof lights
can assist with in both instances.
Part L specifies a target emissions rate from
a roof lit notional building, which incorporates
12% roof lights and automatic lighting controls
and also dictates a U-Value of at least 2.2W/
m2k. However, it is worth noting that if all
elements specified in Part L operated to their
least acceptable standard, a building would
not meet its overall performance requirements.
Specifying larger areas of roof lights will
substantially boost efforts to meet a building’s
target emissions rate. The National Association
of Roofing Manufacturers (NARM recommends
considering 15-20% roof light coverage).
For advice and guidance on your building roof and or envelope
contact info@envo-care.com or tony.cornwell@envo-care.com
Omitting roof lights
altogether comes at an
even higher price. In a
typical naturally ventilated,
large roof-lit building, the
absence of roof lights can
result in a 50% increase
in total CO2 emissions.
Communications Academy
Energy reduction in builidings and the advantage of natural daylight.
Introducing
Added Benefits
The psychological benefits of introducing
natural daylight into a building are also
enormous. Daylight has been scientifically
proven to improve academic performance,
increase productivity, reduce absenteeism
and contribute to general wellbeing.
Shoppers will browse for longer in a
naturally lit store and in sporting settings;
roof lights help natural daylight to reach
the area of action.
In summary, roof lights save energy, promote a healthier
working environment, ensure compliance with the latest
regulations and benefit the building owner’s pocket.
The following pages highlight working examples
of how our maintenance team has helped assist a
client introduce daylight into a building and reduce
the need for artificial lighting.
For advice and guidance on your building roof and or envelope
contact info@envo-care.com or tony.cornwell@envo-care.com
Energy reduction in builidings and the advantage of natural daylight.
Office Depot Case Study
Dublin, Ireland
Envocare were contracted
direct by Office Depot to
improve the natural daylight
in their Dublin Depot.
As you can see from the photo’s the
bespoke cleaning regime that we carried
out on this site not only improved the
daylight up to nearly 100% improvement,
it also improved safety on the roof
by renewing the red warning fixings
to the lights that had previously faded.
Electricity costs have been reduced on site due
to these remedial works and the client has also
saved on having to install new rooflights which
he was looking to carry out until our intervention.
The final photograph shows that the lights that
were previously on 24 hours per day are now
not required during daylight hours.
For advice and guidance on your building roof and or envelope
contact info@envo-care.com or tony.cornwell@envo-care.com
Energy reduction in builidings and the advantage of natural daylight.
Office Depot Case Study
Crawley, UK
Envocare were contracted
direct by Office Depot to
improve the natural daylight
in their Crawley Depot and
stop the constant water
that was penetrating through
the old double six rooflights
and sheets.
This project came with logistical and
health and safety problems with the roof
being an old original Asbestos roof.
We had to work around a live working depot
inside and take down the internal roof lights along
with spanning across fragile sheets to install the
new roof lights.
This project has not only improved the light
within the building but also ensured that any
leaks that were evident have now been eradicated
meaning that the building life expectancy has
now been increased.
For advice and guidance on your building roof and or envelope
contact info@envo-care.com or tony.cornwell@envo-care.com
Energy reduction in builidings and the advantage of natural daylight.
Royal Mail Case Study (Roof Upgrade)
Hemel Hempstead, UK
In addition to the PPM
cleaning, alterations and fit
out works we carried out on
this site, we also were asked
to carry out an overhaul
to the existing roof.
There was a major explosion close to
this site a number of years ago and the
roof actually lifted in the blast and has
caused numerous problems ever since
the explosion.
We carried out a full survey and then completed
all the necessary upgrades required.
The upgrade works included, gutter cleans and
repairs, overlaying all the rooflights, replacing
fixings to the ridge capping, checking all fixings
across the roof, repairs around the access
hatch that had been leaking, checking and
replacing fixings to the parapet and cleaning
down of all end laps.
For advice and guidance on your building roof and or envelope
contact info@envo-care.com or tony.cornwell@envo-care.com
For advice and guidance
on your building roof
and or envelope contact:
info@envo-care.com or
tony.cornwell@envo-care.com
Call
+44 (0)844 809 4211
Fax
+44 (0)844 809 4212
Visit
Envocare Maintenance Limited
PO Box 3198,
Romford,
Essex,
RM3 3BQ.
Website
www.envo-care.com
Part of the
FK Group