Whether you’ve owned a business for six months or six decades, you would probably agree that easiest way to increase profitability is to decrease your operation expenses. That’s why so many [city] businesses have been making the switch to clean energy solutions. Upgrades like LED light bulbs are able to significantly cut energy costs while helping business qualify for valuable tax credits.
But LEDs aren’t the only way to go when trying to cut the energy bill. Commercial skylights, for example, provide year-round savings be increasing natural light. Not only does this reduce the workload on your commercial or industrial lighting system, but it also works wonders for employee well-being.
Shopping for commercial skylights? Our comparison guide should be able to help:
Cost of Installation
The overall cost of commercial skylight installation is going to vary significantly based on a number of factors. Most important among them are type, size, and quantity. However, you will also need to consider the necessary structural changes requires. Roof trusses might need to be modified, and electric wires might need to be moved.
Curbing and flashing are also required for skylight installation, which is a cost that most companies don’t initially consider. Fortunately, there are plenty of local roofers and contractors in [city] who are capable of both providing and installing these elements.
Light Utilization: Prismatic & Tubular Skylights vs. Solar Tracking Skylights
The more traditional skylights on the market are either prismatic or tubular in design. This type of skylight is the most useful when the sun is directly overhead. With direct, top-down sunlight, tubular skylights can capture and disperse an incredible amount of light in your facility.
However, when the sun is low on the horizon, tubular skylights are far less effective in their purpose.
GPS-powered Solar Tracking Skylights do not have such weaknesses. These utilize a system of mirrors and mechanisms to capture and disperse as much light as possible, even on cloudy days. They tend to be more expensive, but when it comes to natural light they are near unbeatable.
Heat Loss and Heat Gain
One of the reasons that commercial warehouse LEDs are so popular is because they produce less heat. In turn this significantly reduces the overall strain on the building’s HVAC system. Over time this can save a lot of money.
Tubular commercial skylights are less effective at minimizing hotspots. There is no way to control how much light is coming in, so hot days might equal hot spots. Similarly, skylights can be a significant source of heat loss in winter.
Solar tracking skylights, on the other hand, are capable of preventing heat loss and heat gain almost entirely. This is because their design is more like a two-pane window.
Return on Investment (ROI)
There are many reasons to invest in the lighting inside your building, but not all of them are going to lead to an ROI significant enough to turn any heads. Commercial skylights have a slow, longer-term ROI than most LED lighting systems, but the effects are clear.
Remember: For most commercial and industrial operators, it does not pay to cut costs on the initial investment. Getting the most out of clean energy is about getting the best equipment, and usually that means that you have to spend a little bit more.