Good lighting has always been the friend of grocery and convenience retailers, and scientific research shows that natural light—sunlight—may be their very best friend since produce, food items, and packaging look their absolute best in it. A seminal study, Daylighting and Productivity from 1999, by the environmental consulting firm, the Heschong Mahone Group, found that retail spaces lit with daylight had increased sales by more than 40% over similar spaces selling comparable products.
In grocery stores, artificial light is a problem for perceiving color accurately. Not only are the colors of fruits, vegetables, meats, and packaging more attractive under natural lighting, but so are the displays as well as the store’s interior with warm, natural lighting that suggests better quality.
For grocers, natural lighting or “daylighting” with skylights drives sales because it provides the best color perception available. Sales increase because the product looks better and is seen more accurately as customers’ color perceptions are directly affected by the full light spectrum.
Even grocery staff working in sunlit environments are happier, more productive, and absent less often than those working for long hours under artificial lights.
That is why BB’s Grocery in Newburg, PA decided that letting the sun shine in was good business. The grocer purchased a daylighting system from DayStar Systems (Campbell Hill, IL), whose engineers developed high-performance skylight systems that capture the sun’s natural light and collect, amplify, and diffuse a broad, even pattern of indoor illumination.
The grocer’s staff installed the Natural Daylighting System, in total 65 4X4 units.
“We really enjoy working in the brighter building. Plus, we have experienced an energy savings by reducing our cooling costs because we no longer have the heat from the lamps,” says BB’s Grocery’s Emanuel Kaufman.
Harnessing renewable and free natural light also cuts the cost of generating artificial lighting and reduces collateral expenses. Some artificial light creates greater heat loads, which must be offset by a building’s cooling system. With a good thermal designed daylighting system, energy costs can be reduced.
For more information on natural daylighting systems, email [email protected] or call (618) 426-1868.