1. A grocery store chain upgraded
to energy-efficient lighting and
skylights with dimmers reported
an 18-month payback and have
cut utility costs by 20%.4
With all things being equal, a study
that included 108 retail stores
had 40% higher sales than those
without daylighting.6
A prominent hardware
store in California
experienced a 65%
reduction in lighting costs
after installing skylights.2
energy costs
maitenance costs
unhappy customers
impact on environment
Skylights can relax
customers similar
to piped in music,
encouraging them to
spend more money.3
A chain of grocery stores
in the U.S. experienced
a 30% annual energy
savings by converting to
skylights and daylighting
controls.5
sales
customer loyalty
product visibility
employee morale
profits
Retail Sales
Energy Savings
Customer Service
1
California Energy Commission Public Interest Energy Research Program (October 2003) “Integrated Energy Systems: Productivity and Building Science” New Building Institute Inc. 2
Building Design
& Construction (July 2001). 3
Houston Business Journal (September 22, 2000). 4
Environmental Protection Agency website, www.epa.gov, 2002. 5
Chain Store Age, January 2002. 6
Heschong Mahone
Group HMG (1999) “Skylighting and Retail Sales”, www.h-m-g.com.
By relying on natural daylight to light
stores during the day, utility costs can
be slashed allowing more money to go
directly to the bottom line.
Although they are unaware of skylights,
customers routinely travel a little farther
to shop at a skylit store because it seems
cleaner or brighter.3
Local retailers who adopt daylighting
for their store design are likely to find
a competitive advantage reflected in
higher sales, greater customer loyalty
and perhaps also employee loyalty.1
Reduce
Improve
18
20%
30%
65%
40%
Employees working
under natural light have
a higher morale and
provide better service as
a result.2
Daylighting is a Retail Therapy