Engineered Systems

Studies give daylit schools passing grades

Two studies, conducted recently by an engineering firm in North Carolina, show that schools which provide daylighting make sense from a financial investment standpoint and improve student performance.

In one of the studies ("Energy Performance of Daylit Schools in North Carolina") conducted by Innovative Designs, Inc., Raleigh, NC, the analysis compared schools with daylighting - i.e., had extensive south facing roof monitors - with "non-daylit" schools from Johnston County, NC. Conclusions showed that daylighting made financial sense. In the firm's report, energy cost of the daylit schools was reduced between 22% and 64% over typical schools, with paybacks of three years.

In a related study ("Analysis of the Performance of Students in Daylit School"), Innovative Design said students exposed to a full spectrum of light were healthier and attended school 3.2 to 3.8 days more per year than comparative non-daylit schools. This same study said libraries with superior light resulted in significantly lower noise levels; full-spectrum lighting induced more positive moods in the students; and because of the additional vitamin D received by the students in full-spectrum light, students had nine times less dental decay and grew an average of 2.1 cm more over a two-year period, than students attending schools with average light.