Existing Building Initiative
The opportunities to reduce energy use in existing buildings are significant and can be readily implemented during an energy saving retrofit or during a major renovation of the building systems. According to Architecture 2030, using government and industry market forecast statistics, by the year 2035, three-quarters of the built environment in the United States will be either new or renovated. The current building stock is estimated to be 300 billion square feet. Over the next 30 years, approximately 52 billon square feet will be demolished, 150 billon square feet will be remodeled, and 150 billion square feet will be new construction. In a typical commercial building, 20-30% of its annual energy is used for lighting and another 10-15% results from removing heat put into the building by electric lighting. Therefore, substituting daylight for electric light should be a national priority, and is already a priority for LightLouver LLC.
Many existing buildings can accommodate the LightLouver Daylighting System. LightLouver units are essentially the “daylight engine” that receive and redirect sunlight deep into the occupied, daylit space. The other architectural components that comprise or interact with the daylighting system are the fenestration, ceiling and walls, light fixtures, lamps and ballasts, lighting controls, and external and internal window shading. In some cases, these components will already exist and may not need to be changed, while in other cases, changes in one or more of these components will be part of the process of renovating / upgrading the building.
LightLouver LLC wants to assist our customers to be able to easily implement daylighting in existing commercial buildings, and has developed the Existing Buildings Initiative to provide all of the equipment and information needed to develop and implement successful projects. The LightLouver Existing Building Initiative includes performance specifications for all of the major lighting system components and a list of vendors whose products meet these specifications. For customers who want a single source for all components needed for a successful project, they can purchase them directly from LightLouver LLC. LightLouver LLC also provides turn-key, design/build services for customers who want their daylighting system designed, constructed, and commissioned by a single vendor.