In commercial buildings

Artificial lighting is one of the largest sources of energy consumption in commercial and industrial applications. On average, artificial lighting accounts for 40% of the building’s total energy. Utilizing the high visible light transmittance VELUX acrylic skylights has been shown to significantly reduce these energy costs through the benefits of daylighting. Typically, proper design of a skylit building results in a skylight-to-floor ratio (SFR) of between 4% - 6%. With proper design, the cost of skylights is paid back often in less than two years. This is because high visible light transmittance VELUX acrylic skylights allow artificial lighting to be turned off on average of 70% - 80% of the time.

The energy savings achieved from reducing dependency on electric lighting far exceeds any heat gain or heat loss in the vast majority of applications. Additionally skylights typically provide less heat than electric lighting. This is why you should choose a skylight that has superior visible light transmittance in lieu of selecting a skylight just based on thermal values.

VELUX acrylic skylights provide extremely high levels of visible light, and are available with thermal breaks and weep systems to maximize energy efficiency making them ideal for all commercial and industrial applications. Installing skylights often pays for itself in two years or less. VELUX offers skylights that have a 100% haze factor that provide diffused lighting with no glare. High levels of visible light transmittance are maintained, but that light is spread evenly throughout the space. 

VELUX can help you determine the correct number of skylights to achieve maximum energy savings or obtain a desired lighting level. 

Environmentally responsible and sustainable aspects in commercial structures have the potential to be far greater in scope and overall impact than in residential projects. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed a voluntary program and tool known as LEED®, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, to better understand and learn design guidelines and industry standards with sustainable design for commercial buildings. For more information, see below.

VELUX skylights are great for sustainable design and can be a great source of LEED credit points towards the certification of a commercial project. How? We have created a brochure designed to answer that very question in the context of LEED New Construction program certification. See for yourself how VELUX products can help reduce energy consumption by retaining quality daylight, thereby reducing the need for electricity for comfort.