Because artificial lighting creates a significant amount of heat, the daylighting also reduces the internal heat gains and thus the building's cooling load. This effect of daylighting, when combined with the radiant barrier in the roof and the virtual absence of east and west windows, results in a total decreased cooling load of about 75 percent over a conventional school. The energy savings achieved in a school through daylighting and energy efficient design would be meaningless if this approach detracted from an environment that is conducive to learning. But with well designed daylighting, the opposite is true. Studies have shown that natural lighting has a positive effect on student attitudes and performance.
Students tend to be more attentive and display lower levels of hyperactivity in daylit classrooms.
Teachers in all of Innovative Design's daylit schools have observed improvements in student behavior and ability to learn. In addition, teachers and administrators report greater satisfaction with daylit schools. This savings will pay for the added construction and design costs in less than one year. The dual savings, in construction cost and annual energy bills, means more money available for programs essential to the educational mission of the school. A Common Sense Model Daylighting integrated with other energy efficiency measures has made the Durant Middle School an excellent example of what architects can do to design better school buildings.