‘Daylight Hour’ gathers thousands of participants globally to turn off their lights, improve indoor environments, and promote energy conservation.

Building Energy Exchange and Fitwel announce Daylight Hour 2022, a social media campaign aimed at reducing energy use, improving occupant health, and saving money by encouraging everyone, from the office or home, to turn off nonessential lighting and use daylight from 12 to 1pm local time.

With a global reach, Daylight Hour engages thousands of participants across dozens of cities, from New York City and Los Angeles to Singapore and Tokyo. Past participants include Vornado Realty Trust, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the New York Public Library. This year’s campaign is made possible through the generous support of the Fitwel healthy building certification, which is operated by the Center for Active Design.

June 6, 2022

The Building Energy Exchange, a New York City non-profit energy efficiency resource center that provides education to the building industry, encourages workplaces worldwide to register for Daylight Hour. Taking place on June 22, during the sunniest time of the year for the northern hemisphere, the campaign invites participants to turn off their nonessential lights in daylit spaces from 12 to 1pm local time and broadcast their involvement on social media using the hashtag #DaylightHour.

This year’s campaign captures the shift in workplaces in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, inviting both organizations and individuals to commit to participation from offices, homes, and shared workspaces across the globe.

Since its launch in 2014, more than 3,500 organizations, including global real estate companies, cultural institutions, city governments, and others, have committed to Daylight Hour. Major participating organizations include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, FirstService Residential, the NYC Department of Education, and the Durst Organization.

“Our Daylight Hour campaign continues to have an outsized impact in fighting climate change and improving energy efficiency.  Individuals and organizations join a global network committed to improving our built environment, engaging a diverse audience in a unique and refreshing way,” said Richard Yancey, Executive Director, Building Energy Exchange.  “We are thrilled to have Fitwel sponsor this year’s campaign, demonstrating how improved health and well-being are co-benefits of reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions.”

Whether at home, in the office, or at a shared workspace, relying on natural light in lieu of electrical lighting provides carbon reductions, energy and cost savings, and measurable benefits to occupant well-being and health.

“Daylight is a natural resource that can not only help us reduce energy use, but also promote positive psychological and physiological health outcomes, including improved sleep, decreased stress, and reduced absenteeism. As such, leveraging the power of daylight is not only good for human health but also planetary health. Fitwel supports the BE-EX Daylight Hour campaign because it highlights these co-benefits and promotes the value of building health for all,” said Sara Karerat, Director, Applied Research, Center for Active Design.

While Daylight Hour is a single-day event, the campaign’s mission is to transform how occupants light their spaces every day, by educating the public on the energy and non-energy benefits of daylighting. In past years, some offices have opted to keep the lights off throughout the summer—and even turn the campaign into a weekly event.

“Our mission is to lead market transformation for every building to be a healthy building. We are proud to sponsor a campaign that increases awareness of the co-benefits of daylight as both a health and environmental priority,” said Joanna Frank, President and CEO, Center for Active Design. 

 In promotion of this year’s campaign, Building Energy Exchange and Fitwel^® will host an educational panel, Redesigning Daylight, on June 21, with speakers from the Center of Active Design, ARUP, Tishman Speyer, and HDR, showcasing how daylighting can cut energy use, carbon emissions, and costs, while making measurable improvements to occupant health and wellness.  

Participants are encouraged to visit the Daylight Hour website (www.daylighthour.org) to sign up for this year’s campaign, register for the Redesigning Daylight event, see features of past participants, and view this year’s awards.

Daylight Hour will be on June 22, 2022, from 12 until 1pm local time. Register at www.daylighthour.org/join and post your participation to social media with the hashtag #DaylightHour to be included in the official count.

www.daylighthour.org
www.be-exchange.org

Twitter: @Daylight_Hour
Instagram: @Daylight_Hour
#DaylightHour

Contact:
Will DiMaggio, Senior Associate, BE-Ex, wd@be-exchange.org

FITWEL & Design is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). Participation by The Center for Active Design and/or any other organization does not imply endorsement by HHS.