The Lighting Research Center (LRC) is    part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute    of Troy, N.Y., and is the leading    university-based research center    devoted to lighting. The LRC offers the    world's premier graduate education in    lighting, including one- and two-year    master's programs and a Ph.D.    program. Since 1988 the LRC has built    an international reputation as a reliable    source for objective information about    lighting technologies, applications, and    products. The LRC also provides    training programs for government    agencies, utilities, contractors, lighting    designers, and other lighting    professionals. Visit

A new "Daylight Dividends" Web site is the first product from a three-year research program that investigates human performance and the business benefits of harvesting daylight for use in commercial buildings. The Web site serves as an information center for those who own, design and construct office buildings and want to learn more about daylighting?its benefits, design, usage and implementation.

The site, developed by the Lighting Research Center (LRC), provides three elements supporting the use of daylighting in commercial and educational facilities:

Research evidence

Authoritative guidance and

Professional perspectives
"With this Web site, we hope to connect with those businesses that want to invest in daylighting, as well as those who may not have considered daylighting's benefits previously," said Peter Morante, program director for Daylight Dividends.

The LRC defines daylighting as making widespread use of natural light within a building. The program is a collaborative effort between the LRC, U.S. Department of Energy, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), California Energy Commission, Connecticut Light and Power, Iowa Energy Center, North Carolina Daylighting Consortium, and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

The web site is organized into three sections:

The Building Owners & Developers section provides easy-to-read research summaries regarding daylighting's benefits in the areas of worker productivity, well-being, and money.

The Architects & Engineers section offers detailed bibliographies and abstracts discussing daylighting in terms of hardware, building type, and design tools.

The Case Studies section shares real-life stories of how daylighting was successfully implemented in a number of facilities with different purposes. More research will be added as it becomes available.