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Local businesses and schools are discovering the benefits of daylighting and environmentally friendly design. Green design has long been the understood way of conserving natural resources and lowering energy costs. Now many companies and schools are using it to improve test scores, productivity and even sales.

With the help of NW Natural Lighting, the Northwest’s premier dealer in Solatubes©, small businesses throughout the region are improving their business while lowering their energy costs. This movement is not just limited to small businesses; much larger well established companies are recognizing the benefits of natural light. They include the Chateau St. Michelle Winery, Boeing and even the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have installed the Tubular Daylighting Devices or (TDD’s) in their stores, factories and offices to improve sales, productivity and the overall environment.

When Boeing retrofitted its lighting they were able to measure 20-percent fewer mistakes during production according to the joint study performed by Joseph J. Romm and William D. Browning of the Department of Energy and the Rocky Mountain Institute. They also discovered that when similar changes were made at Wal-Mart’s Lawrence, Kansas location sales in the areas that were illuminated by natural light were nearly twice those of the artificially lit spaces.

Increased sales and productivity aren’t the only benefits to natural lighting, many local schools are partnering with NW Natural Lighting to increase test scores and raise in class participation. Schools in Bellevue have installed Solatubes© into four different locations including Rockwell Elementary. Natural light has become a growing trend in education especially after a study performed by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. In the study it stated, “And students that had a well-designed skylight in their room, one that diffused the daylight throughout the room and which allowed teachers to control the amount of daylight entering the room, also improved 19-20% faster than those students without a skylight.” (pg. 4) With the promise of a better learning environment and reduced energy costs more and more local schools are taking advantage of this bright idea. Beacon Elementary, in Montesano is following Bellevue School districts lead by putting in 56 Solatubes©.

Whether it is for increasing sales in your business, improving students environment or increasing light in your home, daylighting is a growing trend with studied proven results and energy savings.