Such a simple concept I can’t believe I never thought about it! I stumbled across someone who used mirrors as “light shelves” -- reflecting daylight onto the ceiling of a room, thereby dispersing more natural light. I would have thought the light might be too direct into the eyes, but if you mount them at the right angle, this is not a problem at all.
The best part is the actual result--the intensity of the light was more than two times greater than two T-8 fluorescent bulbs! So the room is actually brighter than standard lighting, for no cost or use of electricity--the only cost being that of the two mirrors, which are cheaper than shelves in any case! It's a logical way to reduce energy consumption of lighting.
I thought this was a great idea. Anyone out there using/used light shelves? Would love to hear about your experience with them, and if they worked well for you.
