| Lighting Research
Center Receives $1.7 Million to "Capture the Daylight
Dividends"
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer
is launching a new research program to investigate human
performance and business benefits of harvesting daylight
for use in office buildings. The “Capturing the Daylight
Dividends” program is a collaborative effort between
the LRC, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the New York
State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA),
and other organizations.
The LRC defines daylighting
as making widespread use of natural light within a
building. “While most work conducted in this
area focuses only on energy savings the LRC’s
research will use daylighting to increase energy savings
as well as improve worker productivity and performance.”
—Peter Morante—
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The DOE awarded an $850,000 research contract
to the LRC and NYSERDA added $300,000 to that amount, according
to Russell Leslie ’80, associate director of the LRC
and the program’s director. The LRC is receiving additional
funding from the Iowa Energy Center, the California Energy
Commission, the Northeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, and
Connecticut Light and Power, for a total of $1.675 million
in funding.
The LRC defines daylighting as making widespread
use of natural light within a building, explained Peter
Morante, LRC director of energy programs and the principal
investigator of the project. “While most work conducted
in this area focuses only on energy savings,” says
Morante, “the LRC’s research will use daylighting
to increase energy savings as well as improve worker productivity
and performance.”
“We intend to use a targeted approach
to reach specific groups such as property developers, facilities
managers, and building owners,” said researcher Owen
Howlett, a visiting scholar from Great Britain who is working
with Morante and Leslie. A special online resource center
on the LRC's Web site will also support businesses that
choose to invest in daylighting.
To learn more, go to www.lrc.rpi.edu.
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