Maximize Daylight and Energy Savings
With Translucent Skylights and Wall Panels

The short definition for daylighting is the planned use of daylight to illuminate the interior of a structure in order to reduce artificial lighting needs.  Daylighting has the potential to offset energy use in the building, thus reducing the use of fossil fuels and helping improve the negative impact on the air quality.

According to a study for Pacific Gas & Electric by Energy Design Resources, a California consultant, the average grocery store may save $16,000 per year, or 32 cents per square foot, in energy cost through daylighting; a typical school can save $7500 per year, or 23 cent s per square foot.

Skylights and wall systems using translucent panels offers diffused lighting to provide a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, and they are compatible with most aesthetics of the building. A skylight brightens and enhances the interior of a building through natural light.

Translucent Skylights come in many combinations of shapes, sizes, glazing, framing systems and insula tion details.  Skylights allows three times more light than a vertical window of the same size.

Translucent fiberglass reinforced panels can be insulated or non-insulated.  They provide excellent energy efficiency. When comparing the Energy Star guide rating of .35 for standard insulating glass, a translucent panel with a .24 U factor / 28 grams of insulation has a 46 percent better U factor than insulating glass.

The advantage of translucent is diffused light offers no glare and no hot spots, which provides for a comfortable environment.  The light transmittance values of 28 to 75 percent is available, depending on the occupants needs.

Almost shatterproof, translucent panels are very durable and virtually unbreakable. They are also lightweight and virtually maintenance free. And, translucent systems are more economical than most glass skylight sy stems.

Daylighting is recognized by the U.S. Green Bu ilding Council’s LEED® rating system and Green Building Initiative as a source to achieve multiple points toward LEED c r edits in several categories. Starting in Octobe r 2005 LEED version 2.2 has made some specification changes.  Updat e d information is available at  www.usgbc.org.

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Dan L. Donihoo, CSI, CCPR
Product Manger
Skywall Translucent Systems
The Vistawall Group / A BlueScope Steel Company