Lighting innovations
The Thrivent Financial Bank in Appleton, Wisconsin uses efficiency enhancing innovations such as sunscreens, light shelves and occupancy sensors. These innovations will, over the lifetime of the building, not only increase energy efficiency but also the comfort of its occupants.

Thrivent Financial Bank, Appleton, WI [Photo credit: Energy Center of Wisconsin]

Banner photo: William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Menlo Park, CA. The Hewlett Foundation's building was designed to save energy and increase the comfort of occupants through individually controlled systems such as operable windows, localized manual floor diffusers, and natural light control throughout the workspace.
Photo credit: Wm. & Flora Hewlett Foundation

High Performance Lighting

The results are illuminating!

What is high performance lighting?
In high performance buildings, lighting does more than just provide adequate illumination. High quality lighting gives companies a competitive edge by improving worker productivity, increasing sales, reducing energy costs, and enhancing a company's image.

A quality lighting design creates an attractive environment by using efficient and effective illumination that's appropriate for a particular activity. Daylighting, electric lighting and lighting controls are integrated to provide the right amount of light in the right place, using the least amount of electricity for the task.

What can high performance electric lighting do for my organization?
Whether you are planning a retrofit project or new construction, high quality lighting offers impressive benefits that can boost your bottom line:

Workers. Studies show that high quality lighting increases worker satisfaction and productivity, reduces turnover and absenteeism, and decreases the risk of hetitleh problems such as headaches and sore eyes.
Sales. As successful retailers know, a well-designed, quality lighting system is a key factor in enhancing a customer's experience. Effective lighting can improve the appearance of a retail space and draw positive attention to products.
Operating costs. Lighting accounts for about 24% of electricity use in a typical office building. High performance lighting design can reduce lighting energy use by 10% to 30% in new construction, and by as much as 50% in retrofitted buildings. Also, a more efficient lighting system adds less heat to the building, reducing air conditioning loads.
Equipment costs. High performance lighting systems can cost more upfront than ordinary lighting. But the savings are typically $0.10-$0.35 per square foot per year, which means that energy-effective lighting systems pay for themselves quickly. A project can save upfront capital costs by correctly sizing the HVAC equipment for the reduced heating loads that result from efficient lighting designs.
Market value. Every dollar invested in energy efficiency adds about $5.00 to the market value of a building, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, making energy efficiency an excellent investment for owners and managers. Quality lighting also improves a building's appearance, increasing its ability to help attract and retain tenants.

How can I achieve high performance lighting in my building?

Plan early. Quality lighting must be planned from the start. Give the design team clear direction to design for high performance from the beginning.
Commit to integrated design. Integrated design considers the building structure and systems as a whole and optimizes their interaction for economic and environmental benefit. It brings together the owners, architects, lighting designers, contractors, commissioning agents, and facility managers to collaborate in the design process from the outset.
Include a commissioning agent. Having a commissioning agent on the team helps ensure that the building systems-including the lighting systems and controls-are designed and installed as intended. Commissioning can save as much as 7% of energy use in new buildings, and 13% in renovated buildings.

Key design factors for high performance lighting

The design team. Select a design team and lighting designers who understand integrated design and can demonstrate how they have achieved high performance lighting on similar projects. Issues to discuss with your team include:
Ambient and task lighting. In most high performance buildings, the lighting design combines appropriate levels of ambient lighting with task lighting. The task lighting allows flexibility and personal control, while potentially reducing equipment cost and energy consumption.
Daylighting integration. High performance buildings integrate daylighting with electric lighting, and use lighting controls to dim or turn off electric lights in response to daylight levels. Effectively integrating daylight with electric light requires careful planning and collaboration of the entire design team.
Interior planning. Colors, furniture, partitions and ceiling height all affect perception of lighting quality. Lighting design should be coordinated with furniture and finishes selection, especially the height and color of partitions, and their placement relative to ceiling lights and daylight sources.
Equipment choices. Equipment selection depends on the light needed and the visual effect desired. Careful fixture selection is important because it affects the overall look and feel of light in the space. Components such as diffusers, reflectors and parabolic louvers also affect the light distribution.
Controls. Manual lighting controls such as on/off switches or dimmers are easy to use, allow occupants to adjust light levels, and can significantly reduce energy use. Automatic controls, such as occupancy sensors and daylighting controls, offer dramatic savings potential. But it's critical that they be calibrated and tested before occupancy and maintained during occupancy.