It's Lights Out For Retail Store With Skylights

摘要

Blain's Farm & Fleet recently opened a 114,500-sf store in Verona, Wis., about 12 miles southwest of Madison. While the store is not LEED certified, much of the sustainable features used in the eco-friendly design were inspired by the USGBC criteria. Among the green features are 161 active daylight harvesting skylights in the retail, warehouse, and automotive service center areas. The 4×4-foot SunTrackers allow the store manager to turn electric lights off for up to 10 hours a day. Powered by a photovoltaic cell and microprocessor, the single mirror is equipped with a global positioning system and is housed in a clear protective acrylic dome. Each unit is equivalent to 800 watts of fluorescent lighting or 1,000 watts of a metal halide lamp and will save about 30-40% of Blain's electricity bill.