Steve Marr explains how human centric lighting and lighting control technology is creating more productive environments

LIGHT UP THE RHYTHM OF LIFE

Steve Marr, Product and Marketing Director at CP Electronics, explains how human centric lighting (HCL) and lighting control technology is creating ever more productive environments.

As the Earth spins on its axis and creates sunlight and darkness, human beings adapt accordingly – this is known as the circadian rhythm. The term comes from the Latin words ‘circa’ meaning around and ‘diem’ meaning day, and is used to describe the physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow a daily cycle. Although the concept of the circadian rhythm is nothing new, recent years have witnessed a great deal of interest in how light and dark affect us.

Energy flash So how does it work? Our biological clock, which is located in the brain’s hypothalamus, receives input from our eyes and sends out signals about the time of day, so that our body can react. The circadian rhythm influences everything from eating habits and hormone release, to our ability to digest food and even our body temperature.

Homo sapiens have lived on the planet for at least 200,000 years and the majority of this time was spent outside as hunters and gatherers. However, according to the Building Research Establishment (BRE), people in Europe now spend around 90% of their time indoors, and our lack of exposure to natural light is having negative consequences on our health and wellbeing.

In fact, irregular circadian rhythm has been linked to various health conditions such as sleep disorders, obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

New and improved Being indoors means we increasingly rely on artificial lighting, but despite the significant improvements in LED technology, the primary driver for its use has been to save energy and ensure a fast return on investment. However, for those seeking to push the potential of LED as far as possible, the focus has shifted towards improving light quality and developing genuine insights into the non-visual effects of light. Specific attention is therefore being directed towards creating HCL solutions that mirror the effects of natural lighting as closely as possible.

As well as being particularly useful in commercial premises, HCL is also suitable for environments such as hospitals and schools. In the former, it can aid the patient recovery process by positively influencing sleep/wake cycles, hormone release, eating habits and digestion. Meanwhile, schools can use it to both calm students and keep them alert, depending on the time of day. Its suitability for a diverse range of applications is driving rapid adoption, and research by MarketsandMarkets states that the HCL market is projected to be worth $3,655 million by 2024.

Take back control It goes without saying that correct LED luminaire specification is a vital part of a successful HCL strategy, but it’s only part of the picture. When integrated with lighting control technology it is possible to automatically change the colour temperature of the artificial light to mimic the cycle of natural light, taking into account the time of day, the position of the sun and even the time of year. Controllable, adaptable lighting systems therefore create more comfortable environments for people and can be used to stimulate people during the day through the use of bluer frequencies, and relax them at night with amber and red frequencies.

By controlling both the intensity and the colour of the light, a lighting design can provide an additional advantage in terms of occupant satisfaction and productivity. According to LightingEurope, it assists performance and wellbeing to the point of enhancing productivity by 4.5% and error reduction by 2%, while lowering absentee rates and improving overall health and safety.

The benefits can go much further though, as it is now possible to connect previously disparate building services to create a more ‘joined up’ approach to occupancy comfort. For example, while heating and ventilation play their parts in ensuring good air quality, they can also be connected to a lighting control system to help reduce instances of eyestrain, migraines and headaches.

The installation of a networked lighting control system, such as Rapid, provides the user with building wide control. From the system head end, users can schedule colour temperature and brightness patterns for specific areas or across the whole building. They can design cyclic timed events determined by their own preferences and designed specifically to generate the benefits that they are aiming for in their own environments, whether that is to calm, for example, or to stimulate.

However, there is now a balancing act between human centric lighting, wellbeing and quality of light, with dimming control and energy efficiency. So, the Rapid lighting control system offers users choice. While the system can be set to dictate the colour temperature; dimming via occupancy control and daylight linking can still be co-ordinated in order to lower energy consumption, and room occupants can even set their own preferences with local manual overrides.

As well as being useful in commercial premises, schools c an use HCL to both c alm students and k eep them alert

The installation of a networked lighting control system, such as Rapid, provides the user with building-wide control

Deep impact Lighting control should be the rule rather than the exception and BS EN 12464, the European standard for lighting indoor workplaces, is having a significant impact. The standard addresses the design and development of lighting schemes around a specific task or activity and encourages designers to consider all available forms of lighting. It also provides guidelines about the use of lighting controls and recommends ways to illuminate rooms only when they are in use.

The use of lighting control also ensures compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations, which requires lighting to be controlled or locally switched. Not only that, it enables a building to demonstrate higher ratings in the Energy Performance Certificates and Display Energy Certificates that owners and managers are obliged to have.

One step beyond The benefits of lighting control extend far beyond energy efficiency. It plays a key role in creating HCL systems that are more in tune with the circadian rhythm, leading to more productive working experiences and improvements in attention span, concentration and behaviour. Our understanding of the impact of light on the human body is still at an early stage, and research on the effects of different types of illumination, the complexities of mimicking natural light, and what’s needed to apply artificial lighting safely and effectively is very much a work in progress. Watch this space.

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