Financial Times - Day Lighting Technology - solution for energy conservation

Just consider our use of electricity. Electric lighting accounts for 35% of all energy produced in the country by various means. By using daylight (sunlight) to illuminate interior spaces, hall ways, the majority of the electric lighting load could be eliminated.

Everybody talks about the energy conservation. Starting from the president, the minister down the line – all experts talk about this topic at various forums.

The question is apart from these wonderful speeches what serious steps have been taken. We agree in unison that energy conservation is very important to this country. Then we also must show the way how it could be done. Without showing the way and taking the leadership in this all important issue how can we expect any positive results?

As a start if the government could set the example by looking at ways to implement Day Lighting Technologies in government buildings and incorporate the concept into the proposed new buildings such as schools, libraries, warehouses, factories etc. Educate all officials to allow the natural day light in to the buildings without closing it by using expensive curtain décor.

Imagine naturally controlled daylight in your, office complex, library, sports complex, factory, warehouse/stores complex, community centers and similar buildings!

Imagine after sun set in the night how marvelous to have moon light falling on your living room or bed room on a full moon day!!

You will be amazed at what natural lighting technology – the SUNPIP also known as SUNTUBE, SUN TUNNEL, SUN DOME will provide until sunsets for the day.

Think of your contribution as a saving towards national economy, by way of reducing grid connected electric power. Think of your contribution towards the green society and automatically becoming an environmentalist.

At a time when global warming is being recognized as a serious threat to our climate, individuals often think they are powerless to do anything constructive to help alleviate the problem. Global warming is the result of excessive pollution contaminating our atmosphere.

Thermal, gas and in time to come coal burning power plants emissions are a major factor for global warming and power plants are being required to produce energy to serve the energy demands of us, either in our private lives or at work. Accordingly, we have a primary responsibility to control our energy demand by being responsible for the manner in which we utilize grid power energy.

It’s already too late to avoid global warming problems, but we should certainly stop adding fuel to the fire. There will soon be a global wake up call regarding our lack of environmental responsibility. As global warming causes Arctic and Antarctic ice shelves to break away (it’s already happening), sea levels will rise, causing thousands of square miles of coastal lands to be flooded.

Extreme weather conditions such as super intense hurricanes, severe droughts, floods, tsunamis are in store for us all, but the sooner we start being personally responsible for our impact on eco system, the less dangerous it will be for our children.

That is what good stewardship is all about. Personal responsibility over those things we have control of. It is not about you and me trying to change the world, or even to tell others how they should do things.

However, if day lighting is implemented improperly, it results in excessive solar heat gain, and we accomplish nothing more than a transfer of energy use from lighting to the air conditioning system with a heavy utility bill. That is why it is known as Day Lighting Technology.

They say that daylight………..
* Increases vigour in
the human body
* Reduces absenteeism at
school and work
* Increases awareness
* Improves vision
* Counteracts SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
* Reduces hyperactivity
* Increases retail sales

Saves energy thereby reducing pollution – so without daylight (sunlight) all life on earth would perish. NEED WE GO ON?

Daylight has a profoundly positive effect on every aspect of our lives.

Socially, economically. Day Light Technology offers unsurpassed lighting and energy savings to houses and industrial buildings by supplementing or replacing daytime electric lighting and skylights with a new breed of natural lighting products.

Since electricity is a very expensive form of energy, this can equate to 80% of the commercial property’s energy cost. Natural lighting saves the majority of this energy cost, not to mention natural resources and environmental contaminants, yielding a more substantial future for all of us. We are wasting electricity, consuming fossil fuels and pouring pollutants into our atmosphere needlessly.

What is Day Light Technology?
Most homes have water pipes, most homes have pipes for electrical wiring, and some homes have gas pipes,

Someday very soon most homes (and other buildings) will have these SUN PIPES/TUBES/ DOMES!

Maybe the authorities should give serious thought about making it compulsory for all new buildings such as factories, warehouses, libraries or similar structures to use Day Light Technology.

It is a unique residential and industrial day lighting system. A pipe length from one foot to 40 feet delivers the beauty of natural light indoors by piping it through the roof to illuminate homes, offices, factories, warehouses, restaurants, schools, sport complexes, art studios and anything that needs good lighting.

A simple design, the highly reflective hollow tube is installed between the ceiling of a room and the roof above it. Daylight shines into the solar tube above the roof and gets reflected down the tube to light diffuser mounted to the ceiling of the room below. When the day light hits the diffuser, it glows with the equivalence of up to 900, 1,500, or even 3,000 watts worth of light depending on the diameter of the tube.

What makes Day Light Technology better?
By using Day Light Technology, in hot sunny days the home/building stays cool because only diffuse sunlight enters your home/building. There is very little heat in diffuse (vs. direct) sunlight. In The Day Light Technology, ceiling diffusers spread nature’s light evenly through out the entire room. It performs just like a bright electric ceiling fixture as opposed to traditional shafted skylight, which puts just a single spot light on the room/floor.

Easy to install Day Light Technology systems are installed between joist and rafters (Trusses) with no framing, no dry walling, no tapping, no mudding, and no finishing. Average installation time two to four hours!

The hole in the roof is permanent. So roof flashing and other components offered with Day Light Technology are also permanent too. Day Light Technology guaranteed for NO LEAKS. Except occasional cleaning of the dome it’s zero maintenance it means – NO MAINTENANCE!

Personal responsibility means doing things the right way and not causing the release of unnecessary pollutant into our eco system. The typical Day Light Technology unit will prevent over three tons of CO2 from entering our air over the next 10 years. All this is while providing healthy, natural interior illumination far superior to any electric light in both colour and intensity. It just makes good common sense to implement such technology.

Day Light Technology merits becoming a standard component of residential and industrial construction. Since it reduces the need for electric lighting, it earns the distinctive role of being a truly anti-global warming product or consider it as a global cooling product.

One day, as a Day Light Technology user, you will love the way this technology fills dark rooms with brilliant natural light. Think once the sun has gone down to have moonlight brightening up your room.

Day Light Technology is one of the answers to the question of how to save energy. The authorities should look into these areas by way of taking meaningful action and it will definitely will save more energy than requesting the public to switch off at east one bulb.

(Comments on this new technology are welcome and can be sent to ft@sundaytimes.wnl.lk)