ESTIMATING ENERGY SAVINGS IN ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING PROVIDED BY THE USE OF A SOLAR LIGHT PIPE PROTOTYPE

In Brazil, few studies investigate the savings in energy consumption using solar light pipes technologies within the national context. This paper aims to estimate the electricity consumption savings provided by the use of a solar light pipe prototype installed in a test house, located in the city of Curitiba/PR, Brazil. An estimation of savings in energy consumption using this system was calculated. An increase of natural illumination indoors up to 50 % was measured under partially covered sky conditions. The lowest Percentage of Natural Lighting Utilization (PALN) was estimated for the month of June, at 32 %. The maximum PALN was estimated for the month of November, at 45 %. The annual hours that artificial lighting could be substituted was estimated to 1182 hours.