This video by the United States Department of Energy describes the concept of daylighting, which is using windows strategically to maximize natural light and help regulate the temperature of buildings.
Daylighting helps reduce electricity consumption and saves money on utility bills.
Teaching Tips
Positives
Diagrams are used to clearly convey the concept.
The design and technology principles discussed in the video are simple and can easily be used by students in their own projects.
Additional Prerequisites
The concept of daylighting is applicable globally but the specific examples of window orientation given in the video only apply to the United States and areas of that latitude.
Differentiation
Students could use the information in this video to redesign their school or house to better incorporate daylighting.
Students living in a different latitude than the U.S. could explore the window orientations that would be necessary in their area to achieve the same effects described in the video.
Daylighting in buildings is an important parameter for thermal comfort. This resource shows different window designs and how windows could be placed in buildings to reduce utility bills and enhance thermal comfort. Please note that the concept of building facade and window orientation explained in the video works only in the U.S. and areas of same latitude but doesn't work in low latitudes or in the southern hemisphere due to tilting of the Earth and variation in solar radiation incident upon the surface. Aside from the limitation stated above, this resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-2 Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
ETS1: Engineering Design
HS-ETS1-3 Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
