Advantages
Savings come from home designs that are designed around natural lighting. Much of the day, people benefit from natural light and reduces electrical consumption needed by interior lights. Tests have shown that natural light is the a standard by which the efficiency of artificial lighting technologies is gauged.
Efficient windows, skylights, light shafts, and many architectural features allow natural light to penetrate into the home. In the past 10 years, Japanese shoppers have benefited from natural light delivered to the interior of shopping malls via fiber optic cables on the roof.
Savings
The savings accomplished by daylighting must be compared against any potential heat loss related with windows or skylights. For maximum savings, only the most efficient windows and skylights should be considered.
Savings will depend on how much you need artificial lighting, your local weather conditions and so on. It is a good idea to check with local builders and energy offices to better calculate energy savings. It is unlikely that anyone will be able to answer a true value of access to daylight as measured by satisfaction with the home, and improved health.
More Information On This Topic:
Buildings.com: Solar Gains - Reaping the Energy-Saving and Productivity-Boosting Benefits of Daylighting
National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Introduction to Passive Solar Heating and Daylighting
U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: Passive Solar Heating, Cooling and Daylighting
