Sunshine – the perfect lighting source?
Tips from experts: How retailers can use daylight for lighting and what they should know beforehand
Free, energy-efficient and 100% environmentally friendly – daylight can be the ideal light source for your room and product lighting. But to make the best use of light, a few points need to be taken into account. The HDE Klimaschutzoffensive (a German climate protection campaign for retailers) has published a checklist that dedicated retailers can use as a guide.
Natural colours, dynamically lit interiors, environmentally friendly architecture and happy employees. These are just a few of the many advantages that retailers can benefit from when they opt for well-implemented daylighting.
But a good implementation also needs to be well planned. Retailers who are considering the use of daylight should therefore ask themselves a few questions before making a decision in order to avoid stumbling blocks and trouble:
Large-scale glazing that lets in enough sunlight but can also keep it out is already a technical reality. We reported on this in our article on Lidl and SageGlass.
Proper planning as the cornerstone for success
- How much daylight do I need in which room at what time?
- What structural requirements are available / need to be created?
- Which areas of my shop need to be particularly well lit?
- Which colours and furnishings help to use the light?
Recognising and avoiding downsides
- Where and when can incident sunlight cause glare and disturb staff and customers?
- How can excessive heating of rooms in summer be avoided?
- Which sun protection measures are necessary and sensible?
Daylight systems as an alternative
- Is daylight indispensable for successful sales?
- What costs will I incur?
- What is the relationship between costs and benefits?
- Which specialists do I need for the installation or conversion?
A (German) guide and checklist from the HDE Klimaschutzoffensive are available here.
