You will probably need to go beyond standard practice to achieve this credit, requiring deliberate design and the potential for up-front cost increases. Strategies going beyond standard practice but not likely to incur additional costs include
Set daylighting goals at the initial goal-setting workshop and incorporate them into the Owners Project Requirements document required for EAc1: Fundamental Commissioning.
When programming, identify occupant lighting needs that could be met with daylight. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) has prescribed footcandle levels for project types, occupant types, and tasks.
Large areas of glazing may cause unwanted heat gain and compromise energy efficiency. However, daylighting may require less glazing than you think—about 40% window-to-wall ratio may be more than you need. Glazing closer to the ceiling will have a greater daylight benefit than glazing near the floor—anything below 30 inches is considered to have no daylight benefit.
Glare can become a problem if you have too much glass, or east- and west-facing glass. Using shading devices can allow projects to combat glare and still have large expanses of glazing. Daylighting from the north is consistent and high quality, while daylighting from the south is abundant and comparatively easy to control.
To reduce cooling loads, use overhangs, lightshelves or fins, courtyards, and lightwells to block high-angle summer sun and low-angle morning and afternoon sun. These strategies also reduce glare and can improve daylighting by reflecting it deeper into the building.
To reduce heating loads, use daylighting strategies in tandem with passive solar heating strategies, such as using materials with greater thermal mass and orienting the building for maximum solar gain.
Focus on optimizing building orientation. Look for opportunities to optimize the glazing on each orientation to account for varying heat gain and lighting angles. When selecting a site, look for potential obstacles to daylight such as neighboring buildings, vegetation, and topography.
