BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

Lecture 3: Daylight Factor

Lawrence Ogunsanya (PhD)

 DEFINITION OF DAYLIGHT
FACTOR
Introduction and definition:
• Daylight factor is a metric used to describe the amount of
natural daylight that enters a room or space.
• It is defined as the ratio of the indoor illuminance at a given
point to the outdoor illuminance under overcast sky
conditions.
• The daylight factor is an important metric for architects and
designers, as it helps them to understand how much natural
light will enter a space, and how this will affect the interior
environment.
• Daylighting, or the use of natural light to illuminate indoor
spaces, has numerous benefits, including energy savings,
improved health and well-being, and increased productivity.
 DEFINITION OF DAYLIGHT
FACTOR
• The ratio, in percent, of work plane illuminance (at a given point) to the
outdoor illuminance on a horizontal plane.
• Evaluated under cloudy sky conditions only (no direct solar beam).
BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

• The daylight factor is defined as

• DF= (Ei/Eo) x 100%
• Where, Ei = illuminance due to daylight at a point on the indoor’s
working plane
• Eo = simultaneous outdoor illuminance on a horizontal plane from an
unobstructed hemisphere of overcast sky
• The higher the DF, the more natural light is available in the room.
 COMPONENTS OF DAYLIGHT
• There are three possible paths along which light can reach a point
inside a room through glazed windows.
•(a) light from the patch of sky visible at the point considered,
BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

expressed as the sky component (SC),

•(b) light reflected from opposing exterior surfaces and then reached
the point, expressed as the externally reflected component (ERC),
•(c) light entering through the window but reaching the point only
after reflection from internal surfaces, expressed as the internally
reflected component (IRC).
•The sum of the three components gives the daylight factor:

DF = SC + ERC + IRC
SC – Sky Component
ERC – Exterior Reflectance Component
IRC – Interior Reflectance Component
 DAYLIGHT FACTOR CONTOURS
• If the daylight factor is measured at a number of points on
a regular grid within a room, then a series of contours can
be constructed that connect together those points which
BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

have the same daylight factor.

• Such daylight factor contours show how the daylight varies
within the room. They give a better impression of the
visual effect within the room if they are drawn at constant
ratios of Daylight factor i.e., 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 5%, 10%
and 20%.
 DAYLIGHT FACTOR CONTOURS
BUILDING SCIENCE 2A
 CALCULATING DAYLIGHT
FACTOR

• To calculate the daylight factor, one typically uses a

computer simulation or physical model to analyse the
behaviour of light in a particular space.
• The simulation takes into account factors such as the size
and placement of windows, the orientation of the building,
and the reflectivity of surrounding surfaces.
• The resulting daylight factor value is expressed as a
percentage, with higher values indicating a greater amount
of natural light entering the space.
 DAYLIGHT FACTOR SCHEDULE
• Daylight factor values recommended for some
spaces are shown in the following tables.
 AVERAGE DAYLIGHT FACTOR
•It has been found that the average daylight factor in a room
gives a good indication of how well lit that room appears to be.
BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

•This is a most useful finding because the average daylight

factor can be estimated using quite simple calculations.
• It should be noted, daylight factor calculations and simulations
are done by computer programs.

Average daylight factor

equation
 DAYLIGHT FACTOR CALCULATIONS
• A simple calculation of the Daylight Factor of an interior space is by:
• Dividing the total area of the windows in the room by the floor area of
the room. Then, finally multiply it by 10 to get the daylight factor.
• The floor area of the office shown below 32m2 .
BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

• The size of a single widow is 1.8m (length), 1m (width). Area = 1.8m2

• Total area of all windows in the room : 3 x 1.8m2 = 5.4m2
 DAYLIGHT FACTOR CALCULATIONS
• 5.4m2 / 32m2 = 0.168
• Daylight factor: 0.168 x 10 = 1.68.
• According to the table below the room will be poorly lit
BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

under natural daylight only.

• Therefore, additional artificial lighting will be needed to
sufficiently light up the room, during the day.
BUILDING SCIENCE 2A

Questions