Active

A-1 Daylighting offers state of the art active systems -- High Performance active Prismatic systems with NO moving parts that use 4,000 prismatic mirrors per square foot. This patented design sees the sun at all sun angles throughout the day allowing the end user to turn the lights OFF up to 10 hours a day with 100% diffusion. Unlike tracking skylights the high performance prismatic system requires NO maintenance.

Tracking systems using mirrors to track the sun are available through A-1 for those customers who desire such systems.

Energy Efficient Lighting

The high performance prismatic daylighting system produces up to ten times more light than a standard skylight of the same size and distributes light more evenly and over a wider area with out the hot spots, glare and uneven lighting associated with traditional skylights.

Compared to electric lighting, it produces illumination equivalent to 800 watts of fluorescent lighting, or more than a 1,000 watt metal halide lamp. Since it does not draw any line voltage, electricity costs for lighting drop to zero during the average of 10 hours a day that it reflects light indoors.

The combination of lumen performance, low operating cost, long life cycle and much lower heat generation is what makes the system so energy and maintenance efficient.

Case Study: Wal-Mart Properties Worldwide
Sun Optics 5’0” x 6’0” Signature Series Double Glazed units using Impact Modified Clear Prismatic Acrylic over High White Prismatic Acrylic are used to daylight over 2,000 Wal-Mart Super centers worldwide. Wal-Mart officials have documented that at 1.2 watts per square foot of light energy, and an average of 2,800 hours a year of turning lights off, one 5' x 6' Sun optics Prismatic Skylight has the energy saving capability of 2 kW of Solar Photovoltaic Panels for a fraction of the cost and space needed. Today, Sun Optics Prismatic Skylights is the sole specified product for Wal-Mart's daylight harvesting program.

During the early stages of construction, no electric lights are needed inside the building which otherwise would require many electrical cords strewn throughout the site to perform the required work.

With the skylights installed, light levels average just over 100 foot-candles throughout the building.