Scoop 'Best of Both Worlds' in Lighting

Published by Angela May for Passivent Ltd in Education and also in Environment, Housing

A pioneering option in lighting is giving a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario, optimizing natural resources whilst ensuring acceptable light levels are maintained day and night……

Sunscoop™ Hybrid has been developed by Passivent Ltd, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of internal environment solutions which minimize energy consumption. The innovative lighting system combines the proven and established Sunscoop tubular rooflight technology with an additional low energy luminaire.

Sunscoop Hybrid reflects natural daylight through a roof-mounted glazed dome and highly reflective tubing to a ceiling mounted diffuser in the room or dark area below, providing up to eight times the amount of light of a single 60W electric bulb; a 26W dimmable fluorescent lamp in the diffuser unit is triggered to turn on when the integral light sensor detects lux levels drop below a predetermined level. When natural light levels rise, the lamp automatically turns off. A further programmable PIR presence detector turns off the lamp regardless of light levels if the room is unoccupied.

Georgina Park, Passivent Commercial marketing executive, elaborated: “Tubular rooflights are great for reducing the need for artificial light, but are dependent on a reasonable level of daylight: on very overcast days, early morning or late afternoon, the light may not be adequate for the room occupants. Sunscoop Hybrid overcomes that issue, ensuring the light level is always acceptable, whilst optimizing energy usage, and giving occupants the choice to supplement natural light if required: research by CIBSE shows that giving people that choice can make up to 40% difference to the resulting light use.”

Passivent’s Sunscoop Hybrid is initially available in a 350dia unit as standard, for installation in both new build and refurbishment projects. Sunscoop’s innovative Skyview diffuser which enhances the spread of light and allows the sky to be seen through the unit can be included as an option.

Sunscoop Hybrid complements Passivent’s comprehensive range of tubular and modular rooflights, under the Sunscoop and Metro brands. The rooflights integrate with Passivent’s range of natural ventilation and solar shading solutions, giving a single source for control of natural resources in the commercial environment. Passivent (www.passivent.com) is a founder member of the NatVent EC/EU-funded project co-ordinated by the Building Research Establishment to develop practical natural ventilation solutions for the commercial sector, and has contributed to the BSRIA guide BG2/2005 Wind Driven Natural Ventilation Systems, as well as being members of the DCSF steering committee on ventilation guidance for schools, Building Bulletin 101.