Monitoring and Evaluation of a Light-pipe System used in Korea

Abstract

The use of natural lighting has the potential for improving both the energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality in buildings. A light-pipe system can bring natural light to spaces that would otherwise not be able to benefit from the advantages of daylight penetration. This paper presents the monitoring results of a light-pipe system that was installed in a window-less space of a building located in Korea. Indoor illuminance distributions and concurrent outdoor illuminance were monitored at a 1 s interval over a period from April 2009 to May 2009. The results demonstrated the effects caused by the amount of clouds, solar altitudes and external total illuminances; on both the daylighting performance of the light-pipe system and the indoor illuminance distributions of the space. The findings of this study indicated that the light-pipe system could be an effective tool particularly for introducing daylight indoors, even under overcast sky conditions in Korea.