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Expertly Harvest Daylight in Your Commercial Building
Expertly Harvest Daylight in Your Commercial Building
In a typical office building, lighting and climate control make up more than 65 percent of energy usage. It’s smart business to invest in solutions that help in curbing energy consumption. Lighting control systems can certainly help, and automation applied via occupancy sensors, timers, and other means can contribute to a more efficient environment. So can automated climate control.
Beyond lighting and climate control, another solution can yield efficiency and other benefits. The intelligent harnessing and management of natural light are sometimes overlooked. Before the advent of electricity, buildings relied on natural light to illuminate interior spaces. The availability of reliable and ubiquitous electric power changed the nature of building design and de-emphasized natural light. But now, with new energy regulations, a better understanding of the effects of climate change, and a new emphasis on sustainability, building design is once again focused on maximizing the benefits of natural light. This new concept is called designing for Daylight Autonomy.
Designing for Daylight Autonomy means enabling a space to maximize the amount of useful daylight. The big challenge in harnessing daylight is that it is dynamic, and you need to have a lighting plan to deal with the changing nature of natural light. The good news is that Lutron, the leading vendor in lighting control, also has the solutions for making the most of natural light. Read on to learn more about the best commercial shade solutions for your Edina office building.
SEE ALSO: Reduce Your Monthly Energy Bills With Commercial Lighting Control
BALANCING AESTHETICS AND CONTROL
In the height of the Minnesota summer, you want to minimize heat buildup and glare from large windows. Solar screen fabrics of the past may have been chosen for looks from the inside, but often blocked a view and daylight, causing increased use of electric lights and HVAC systems. Lutron has designed a collection of 200 fabrics that carefully balance aesthetics and design with performance that minimizes glare, lets in natural light, and preserves the view to create a more natural, connected, and pleasant work environment.
ADAPTIVE SHADING FOR DAYLIGHT AUTONOMY
Lutron’s solutions for making the most of daylight in a building involve automated shades, sensors, and their Hyperion solar adaptive technology. The Hyperion system automatically adjusts Lutron motorized shades based on the position of the sun. Their wireless window sensors add intelligence to adjust shades up or down for cloudy conditions or shadows that may occur from dynamically changing conditions. Shades can be grouped to operate in unison or to operate independently and adjust individually to changing outside light as it moves across a building’s façade.
Just as glare through car windshields and windows can be distracting and bothersome, it can be equally uncomfortable in an office if not controlled. But blocking out light is not the answer. Lutron’s specially engineered fabrics can cut glare by varying amounts depending on sun exposure. Studies show that glare can reduce productivity by 20 percent. Similarly, research also indicates that access to outside views can also improve productivity, so having choices in fabrics to allow for natural light, maintain external views, and reduce glare is essential for maintaining an engaging work environment.
INTEGRATED CONTROL
Lutron’s motorized shading solutions are not islands unto themselves. They work with the company’s lighting control systems to strike the right balance between efficiency, comfort, aesthetics, and productivity. Systems like Lutron’s Quantum and Enterprise Vue can manage lighting and coordinate with shade control from one floor to an entire building.
Make your commercial building harness the power of natural light with the best shade solutions from Lutron. Click below to connect with one of our shading specialists or reach out to us here.