Lighting Research Center Designs New Skylight to Scoop Up Daylight, Save Energy

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently released a guide for designing light scoops—an innovative type of skylight designed by the LRC with funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Light scoops provide optimal levels of daylight throughout the changing seasons and daily fluctuations in weather by capturing and strategically redirecting daylight into buildings.

Many conventional horizontal skylights provide too much sun on days that are warm and sunny, and too little sun on days that are cold and dark. The LRC’s new light scoops design balances out these daily and seasonal fluctuations in light level and temperature by providing less light in summer and more light in winter, while accounting for the natural pattern of the sun as it travels across the sky. In overcast conditions, a light scoop receives light from the brightest part of the sky, known as the zenith. They work very well in locations that are frequently cloudy and overcast such as Seattle, Portland, Detroit, and Buffalo.

Using light scoops and controls, electric lights can be turned off or dimmed when adequate daylight is available, thus saving energy and operating costs. Light scoops can also save heating and cooling energy.

Click here to download Light Scoops: A Design Guide.

Craig DiLouie

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