sDA, ASE & LEED v4 Credits

Autonomy / Standards

Complete LEED v4 daylighting credits

Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA) measures the fraction of floor area receiving ≥300 lux for at least 50% of occupied hours — the primary LEED v4 EQ8.1 daylighting metric. Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE) is the companion metric that flags over-illuminated areas (>1000 lux for more than 250 hours per year).

DL-Light produces the full IES LM-83 compliant calculation and generates the complete, ready-to-submit LEED v4 report with all required tables, maps, and summary statistics.

sDA: % of floor area with ≥300 lux for ≥50% occupied hours
ASE: % of floor area with >1000 lux for >250 hours/year
Full IES LM-83-12 compliance
Ready-to-submit LEED v4 EQ8.1 report
Scenario comparison for glazing and shading optimisation

ASE map showing over-illuminated zones

LEED performance summary report

Frequently asked questions

What does the LEED v4 daylight credit require?

LEED v4 Option 1 (climate-based) requires sDA 300/50% ≥ 55% (2 points) or ≥ 75% (3 points) of regularly occupied floor area, while ASE 1000,250 must remain below 10% to avoid glare risk. Option 2 (illuminance) measures lux levels at two specific times of year.

Does DL-Light support LEED v4 daylighting compliance?

Yes. DL-Light computes sDA 300/50% and ASE 1000,250 per IES LM-83, the standard referenced by LEED v4. The simulation engine is validated against CIE 171:2006.

Going further

Read the full DL-Light user-guide reference for sDA, ASE & LEED v4 Credits: Windows guide · macOS guide.

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