How Commercial Skylights Support Energy Efficiency and Better Buildings

Artificial lighting is one of the largest energy consumers in commercial and industrial buildings. For facilities with long operating hours, large open interiors, or limited access to natural light, lighting can significantly impact total energy use and operating costs.

But every building needs light. So how can commercial buildings reduce reliance on artificial lighting while still creating bright, functional spaces?

One answer is daylighting through the roof.

VELUX commercial skylights are engineered to maximize natural light transmission, reduce electricity use, and enhance indoor comfort, supporting energy efficiency and sustainability goals.

In many commercial applications, effective daylighting can reduce or eliminate the need for artificial lighting for much of the day. That can help lower energy demand, support sustainability goals, and improve the indoor experience for employees, customers, students, and patients.

What Makes Commercial Skylights a More Energy-Efficient Option?

Sustainable building design is about more than reducing energy use. It is about creating spaces that perform better for the building, the environment, and the people inside.

Commercial skylights can support that goal by helping buildings:

• Reduce reliance on artificial lighting
• Lower lighting-related energy demand
• Improve indoor environmental quality
• Support occupant comfort and well-being
• Increase access to natural daylight
• Create more resilient spaces during daytime power interruptions
• Contribute to green building and LEED project goals

When daylighting is planned properly, skylights can help commercial buildings use natural resources more effectively while improving interior environmental quality.

Benefits of Commercial Skylights by Building Type

Different commercial buildings have unique daylighting needs, but integrating natural light through skylights consistently improves energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and building performance across various types.

Here are a few examples of how commercial skylights can support sustainability efforts in different types of spaces.

Hospitals, Health Care Facilities, and Retirement Communities

Research published by The Center for Health Design suggests that access to natural light can support patient recovery and, in some cases, contribute to shorter hospital stays. Daylight also plays an important role in regulating the body's circadian rhythm, which influences sleep and other essential biological functions.

What's more, the average 60-year-old requires two to three times as much light as the average 20-year-old. Natural light helps boost visual acuity, especially as we age, and improved lighting decreases fall-related injuries. For well-being and happiness, natural light is essential in places where we go to heal.

Offices, Manufacturing, and Distribution Centers

According to scientific experts, natural light can boost energy up to 24%. In the workplace, this is especially noteworthy as it has been shown to decrease absenteeism and increase productivity. In fact, research cited by the National Academies of Sciences estimates that sleep-related fatigue costs U.S. businesses $150 billion annually in lost productivity, absenteeism, and workplace accidents.

For a more specific example, after Lockheed Martin installed skylights at its Sunnyvale, California, facility, the company saw 15% higher worker productivity and won a $1.5 billion defense contract as a result. The profits paid for the entire building, and, as a bonus, Lockheed Martin saves $300,000-$400,000 a year on energy bills.

Using daylight as the primary light source in commercial buildings also greatly reduces the risk of business disruption due to power outages. This has even been shown to improve public health and safety during emergencies when the electricity supply may be disrupted.

Related: Read Daylighting in Industry Applications Online Brochure

Retail Spaces

Skylights in retail spaces are strongly and positively correlated with higher sales. An HMG study showed that a non-skylit store would increase sales by 40% if it incorporated skylights, even though many customers interviewed were generally unaware of the difference between daylight and artificial lighting while shopping. Customers reported that they're more likely to visit skylit stores, citing positive environmental feelings, like the stores seeming cleaner, more spacious, and brighter, as the reasons.

Customers aren't the only ones in stores, and they're also not the only ones affected by natural lighting. Employees working in skylit stores have been shown to have higher morale, higher productivity, and lower absenteeism.

Learn More: View Daylighting in Retail Online Brochure

Schools and Educational Facilities

You've probably guessed where we're going with this, but it's also true: students perform better in schools with skylights. But don't just take our word for it. The Pacific Gas & Electric Company tested 21,000 students in three states and found that students in classrooms with the most daylight progressed 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests than those in classrooms with the least daylight over the course of a year.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, K–12 school districts spend more than $8 billion annually on energy, with over 30% of energy use going to waste. Incorporating daylighting strategies with appropriate lighting controls can help reduce reliance on electric lighting, lower operating costs, and free up resources for other educational priorities.

Continue Reading: View Daylighting in Education Brochure Online

Commercial Daylighting Solutions from VELUX

VELUX Commercial offers a range of skylight solutions designed to support different building types, roof conditions, and daylighting goals. Whether you need large roof openings, modular systems, dome units, or tubular daylighting devices, we have options to meet your project's unique needs.

Potential daylighting solutions include:

• Commercial Dome Unit Skylights for cost-effective daylighting in a wide range of commercial applications
• VELUX Modular Skylight Systems for prefabricated daylighting and ventilation solutions with multiple configurations
• Structural Skylights for larger daylighting applications and architectural impact
• Commercial Sun Tunnel® Skylights for bringing daylight into interior spaces where traditional skylights may not be the right fit
• Controls, ventilation, blinds, and glazing options to help manage daylight, heat gain, glare, and indoor comfort

The right solution depends on the building type, roof design, space layout, performance goals, and installation requirements.

Not sure what VELUX daylighting solution is right for your project?

Take our Commercial Product Selector Quiz to determine the best product for your needs.

Discover the VELUX Commercial Advantage

Maximizing a space's potential works only when the right product, support, and expertise come together. That’s where the VELUX Advantage comes in.

Quality and Performance

For more than 80 years, VELUX has led the skylight and daylighting industry. VELUX Commercial products are designed to deliver long-term weathertight performance, durability, and reliable daylighting that exceed market standards.

Sustainable Building Support

VELUX skylights can help support sustainable building strategies by reducing reliance on artificial lighting and improving access to daylight. Product options may also help support energy performance, indoor comfort, and green building goals depending on the project.

VELUX also continues to focus on sustainability across the business, including reducing future carbon emissions and supporting more responsible manufacturing and product development practices.

National Sales and Technical Support

When you choose VELUX Commercial, you also gain access to a national sales and support network. From product selection and daylighting guidance to installation support and project documentation, the VELUX team can help from early planning through project completion.

LEED and Green Building Documentation

Properly specified and documented, commercial skylights can support LEED and other green building strategies. VELUX Commercial can provide supporting documentation and product information to help project teams evaluate how daylighting solutions may fit into broader sustainability goals.

Start Your Daylighting Project with VELUX Commercial

Every commercial building has its own daylighting challenges, from roof conditions and energy goals to occupant comfort and long-term performance. Here at VELUX, our Commercial Team works with you to evaluate product options and project requirements, helping you move from early planning to a more confident daylighting solution.

Whether you are planning a new build or a renovation, contact us to identify the right daylighting strategy for your space, application, and project needs.