06-22-2020
Daylight Hour 2020
At FXCollaborative, we are celebrating Daylight Hour by turning off the lights in our homes today between noon and 1 PM. Daylight Hour is an annual social media campaign organized by the Building Energy Exchange to raise awareness about using natural daylight in lieu of electric lighting.
2,300 offices covering over 370 million square feet of office space have participated since its 2014 launch, saving enough energy to power more than 34,000 homes for a day. 17 cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, registered their municipal buildings. Depending on the time of year, energy loads peak at different times of day. In the summer, peak energy loads occur right around solar noon. One of the biggest factors that causes use to rise at this point are air conditioners working against the heat of the day. By turning off the lights in the middle, we can help reduce peak energy loads.
Working from home has provided a rare opportunity for each of us to completely tailor our individual working environments. This is cause for reflection on something that has previously remained somewhat unconscious in our day-to-day lives: How much light, daylight and/or artificial, is preferred by our staff?
This year, we took our daylight study remote, with staff using a light meter app on their phones. Through their results, we have been able to assess and establish commonalities of individualized, ideal work settings, and compare that information with that typical of office design; an impactful assessment given the billions of commercial square footage in the United States.
The design lux level for offices is 431, but most of our volunteers fell well below that—in the mid-200s range. The lesson is intriguing in that while we are working from home, it seems a lux level far under the recommended illuminance level is adequate; perhaps even preferred. In essence, many of us are practicing "daylight hour" continually in this remote setting. The question becomes: Is a typical office space significantly over lit, and how much energy would be saved with increased access to daylighting?
Do your part and turn off the lights!
2,300 offices covering over 370 million square feet of office space have participated since its 2014 launch, saving enough energy to power more than 34,000 homes for a day. 17 cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, registered their municipal buildings. Depending on the time of year, energy loads peak at different times of day. In the summer, peak energy loads occur right around solar noon. One of the biggest factors that causes use to rise at this point are air conditioners working against the heat of the day. By turning off the lights in the middle, we can help reduce peak energy loads.
Working from home has provided a rare opportunity for each of us to completely tailor our individual working environments. This is cause for reflection on something that has previously remained somewhat unconscious in our day-to-day lives: How much light, daylight and/or artificial, is preferred by our staff?
This year, we took our daylight study remote, with staff using a light meter app on their phones. Through their results, we have been able to assess and establish commonalities of individualized, ideal work settings, and compare that information with that typical of office design; an impactful assessment given the billions of commercial square footage in the United States.
The design lux level for offices is 431, but most of our volunteers fell well below that—in the mid-200s range. The lesson is intriguing in that while we are working from home, it seems a lux level far under the recommended illuminance level is adequate; perhaps even preferred. In essence, many of us are practicing "daylight hour" continually in this remote setting. The question becomes: Is a typical office space significantly over lit, and how much energy would be saved with increased access to daylighting?
Do your part and turn off the lights!