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Harnessing the power of natural light in buildings

Integrated Environmental Solutions _ IES
Breeam
Fitwel
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Why choose us?

Encon Associates provides tailored Daylight Analysis services that are specifically designed to improve your building’s thermal and energy performance.

We use cutting-edge simulation software to evaluate your building’s daylight, delivering precise calculations and actionable recommendations for Daylight Simulation Modelling, Internal Glare Assessments, Right to Light Studies, and Suncast Studies.
Our highly skilled consultancy team has 18+ years experience in conducting daylight and sunlight assessments. Whether you’re navigating complex planning conditions or wish to pursue a sustainable building certification like BREEAM, our specialist team can help your building maximise natural light, whilst also minimising energy costs. From the initial design consultation to the final certification, we are here to support you throughout the entirety of your energy assessment journey, allowing your building project to enhance its energy efficiency and operational performance.
6000+
Total projects completed
600+
Projects submitted last year
25+
Years’ experience
Breeam2
Integrated Environmental Solutions _ IES

Understanding Daylight Analysis

What is Daylight Analysis?

Daylight Analysis assesses how effectively natural light is being distributed within and around a building.

Using advanced 3D simulation tools, we evaluate factors such as window placement, room depth, and sky visibility to calculate the building’s daylight performance. The goal of Daylight Analysis is to reduce reliance on artificial lighting and instead focus on enhancing natural light within the initial design phases.

Daylight and sunlight assessments are critical in the world of urban development. They enable architects and developers to measure the impact of new construction on the light levels within neighbouring properties, ensuring they are not negatively impacted by overshadowing. Integrating Daylight Analysis early in the design process can help mitigate potential objections or planning delays, whilst also allowing you to achieve valuable BREEAM Hea 01 credits.

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Our Daylight Analysis service

Daylight Simulation Modelling

We construct detailed 3D models of proposed developments to analyse the building’s internal daylight levels.

Our experienced assessors harness advanced computer simulation technology to simulate how natural lighting will interact with your building design, providing recommendations on window placement, room layout, and shading strategies. These calculations follow BRE’s guidance for ‘Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight’, ensuring you are fully compliant with the requirements for BREEAM Visual Comfort (Hea 01) credits.

Internal Glare Assessments

Discomfort glare, disability glare, and blinding glare can all significantly impact occupant comfort and wellbeing in indoor environments. By simulating various lighting conditions throughout the day, our comprehensive Glare Assessments identify any high risk areas that could be hazardous to human health. We conduct detailed data analysis and recommend suitable solutions that can help you appease planning conditions, such as installing appropriate shading systems, adjusting glazing specifications, or suggesting alternative interior layout options.

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Our Daylight Analysis service

Right to Light Studies

Our Right to Light Studies assess how new developments affect the natural light received by neighbouring properties.

We use advanced digital simulations of real-world lighting scenarios, completed in line with BS 8206-2:2008 “Lighting for Buildings” code, to calculate potential light reduction on existing buildings against best practice levels. We can provide a detailed report of findings for issue to the relevant Local Authority to support planning applications, and offer advice on necessary design adjustments before construction begins.

Suncast Studies

Our Suncast Studies simulate how sunlight interacts with your development throughout different seasons, measuring key areas such as sun paths, shading, and light intensity. These detailed 3D simulations provide you with valuable insights into your building’s thermal and energy performance, allowing you to make any necessary changes during the early design stages – such as adjusting the building orientation, reviewing window openings and positions, and reconsidering shading design. We can then provide a detailed report to help strengthen your planning application, if required.

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We partner with organisations like yours

Aldi
Asda
Bowmer Kirkland
Whicks
Vauxhall
Travis Perkins
Sheffield city council
Sewell
Nottingham city council
Moor Market
JMF Architects
Home Bargins
Glegg
m&S porperty team
mcdonalds
Aldi
Asda
Bowmer Kirkland
Whicks
Vauxhall
Travis Perkins
Sheffield city council
Sewell
Nottingham city council
Moor Market
JMF Architects
Home Bargins
Glegg
m&S porperty team
mcdonalds
Aldi
Asda
Bowmer Kirkland
Whicks
Vauxhall
Travis Perkins
Sheffield city council
Sewell
Nottingham city council
Moor Market
JMF Architects
Home Bargins
Glegg
m&S porperty team
mcdonalds

In my capacity of a new homes developer ‘Fenwood Estates Limited’ I have been working with Encon for over 10 years now. For every new site Encon have designed a full landscape scheme ticking all of the relevant planning boxes, in previous times they supported Fenwood with the roll out of the Code for Sustainable Homes across our sites and in more recent times with the Ecology and Bio Net Gain elements that we require, they have conducted surveys, reports and calculations to support all of our planning applications. The team are amazing, easy to talk to, quick to react when required and cost effective to say the least. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Encon Associates to anyone in the industry, they certainly give a 5 star service as a minimal!

Melissa Kroger, Fenwood Estates Limited

Additional services

We offer a wide array of specialist services that complement our Daylight Analysis services and are designed to boost your project’s overall sustainability rating.

From Thermographic Inspections and Tree Surveys to Traffic Assessments and Acoustic Reports, our team provides the technical expertise you need to achieve the highest energy assessment rating possible.

Want to gain environmental credits or need planning advice for your next project?

Frequently asked questions about Daylight Analysis

Want to know more about the benefits of Daylight Analysis?
Daylight Analysis measures how well a building utilises natural light. These assessments can help reduce the reliance on artificial lighting and enhance occupant comfort, as well as aiding you in achieving planning permission.
A Right to Light Study is often required for proposed urban developments that are situated near existing properties. This ensures that the new structure won’t excessively block daylight from entering neighbouring buildings.
Glare Assessments can help address visual discomfort caused by excessive light conditions or extreme contrasts. By suggesting alternative lighting arrangements involving window shading or interior layout design, they can drastically improve working and living environments for staff and occupants.
Suncast Studies predict how a building will interact with sunlight throughout the year. This can help designers optimise shading within the property, reduce overheating risks, and improve overall energy efficiency.
Daylight Analysis directly contributes to BREEAM certification. By demonstrating that your building has achieved the adequate benchmarks for daylight levels under BRE guidance’s for Hea 01 credits, your project is much more likely to achieve its desired BREEAM rating.