Warehouse and Industrial Skylights

A large share of warehouse daylighting work is not new construction. It is a building that has stood for years getting skylights added or expanded, usually for one of two reasons.

Energy code compliance is the first. Commercial energy codes based on the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) require daylighting in enclosed spaces generally over 2,500 square feet, with at least 75 percent of the ceiling area under a roof higher than 15 feet, and non-refrigerated warehouses are named directly among the covered uses. 

Where that trigger applies, a minimum daylight zone under skylights is required, not optional, which is why a warehouse built decades ago can need skylights added to pass a current energy review, a tenant improvement permit, or a change-of-use application. Local jurisdictions adopt and amend these provisions on their own schedule, so confirming the version in effect with the local building department is part of scoping any project built around this trigger.

The second reason is lighting cost. Warehouse and distribution operations run high-bay lighting across large footprints for most of the working day, and the U.S. Department of Energy notes that daylighting paired with responsive lighting controls can cut electric lighting use during daylight hours while also reducing the cooling load that comes with running that lighting. Our daylighting consulting team scopes both the code-driven and the cost-driven version of this project.