Leading aerospace engineering company Lockheed opened a daylit office building in Sunnyvale, California, in 1983. The building, which houses 2,700 employees, has had a significant impact on Lockheed’s bottom line: As of 1995, “daylight has saved Lockheed 75 percent of its lighting bill and cut overall energy costs in half…The $2 million in energy improvements paid for themselves in energy savings in four years” (Pierson, 1995).

In Minnesota, Xcel Energy’s Design Assistance Program has helped 200 buildings save energy, primarily through the use of daylight to replace artificial light. According to a 2002 study by the Weidt Group, the program has reduced energy use by an average of 30 percent and saved building owners more than $15 million a year in operating costs.

The success of the program is illustrated in a 2002 renovation of the Grain Belt Brewery in Minneapolis. “The enormous brewery . . . might seem like an energy efficiency nightmare. But the use of natural light . . . reduced the amount of artificial light needed – and resulted in big energy savings. That move . . . reduced the annual energy costs by 36 percent” (Mack, 2003). Daylighting also cut the brewery’s energy use at peak times (when energy is most expensive and causes the most pollution) by almost half.

A Skylight by Conrad can help reduce your energy costs too.  •Call Tubular Skylights by Conrad at (931) 277-3707 today for more details.