Well-lit spaces for learning

A well-designed lighting scheme can not only save on energy bills, it can have a positive impact on a child’s performance and well-being at school, writes Jo Jackson from the Lighting Industry Association.

Lighting accounts for 20 per cent of the energy cost of running our schools and yet this can be halved by installing energy efficient LED lighting and reduced even further by the use of intelligent controls. LEDs save up to 90 per cent of the energy consumed by traditional filament lighting technologies and are now considerably more efficient than fluorescent lamps, but the advantages go further.

LEDs can last up to five times longer than fluorescent lamps which add to the savings through reduced maintenance. Being a digital light source, LEDs are also perfectly placed to work in harmony with sensors and controls which can dim the lights in response to fluctuating daylight or switch off altogether if there is no activity in an area. Sensors working together can detect someone entering a corridor and switch on the nearest light while alerting the next light that someone is coming and that it should switch to 50 per cent output before they arrive and so on along the chain.

In recent years LED technology has improved dramatically so that it is now more efficient than ever while the quality of light has also improved. No longer are LEDs a cold blue hue, they can now replicate warmer colours or daylight and are even colour tunable. What’s more prices have been steadily falling which has considerably reduced the payback period.

Good housekeeping
Well-lit spaces are essential for an effective teaching and learning environment. However, there is considerable scope for making savings by implementing some simple good housekeeping measures. Staff and students should be involved in making savings – this can be achieved through raising awareness during assembly and non-teaching class time, placing stickers above light switches and posters around the building.

Let’s not forget the glare from the sun often results in blinds being closed and the use of artificial light whereas installation of daylight blinds can effectively channel the sunlight to the ceiling where it does not cause visual disturbance.

That’s the energy pitch over, actually most people ‘get’ the energy saving benefits of LED lighting but what I want to discuss is the additional benefits of a well-designed lighting scheme.

A well-designed lighting scheme
Let’s start with well-being. Most of us can recognise bad lighting in a space through dim work areas, glare, cold colour and inadequate or no controls. On the other hand whilst we recognise a good feeling when we walk into certain rooms, we may not be consciously aware that it is due to good lighting.

Nevertheless, little is known in public and politics about human centric lighting. A general consensus in society that good lighting is essential for a person’s well‑being has prevailed for a long time. But discussions have been superficial and are often not driven by facts. This is the result of the challenges of separating causes and effects, which often seem vague and depend on individual appraisal of surrounding conditions. After the 2001 discovery of a third photoreceptor in the human eye, in addition to rods and cones, effects on circadian rhythms could be related to specific light conditions. This represented a major leap forward, facilitating further research and development activities by both academia and industry.

Today, specific lighting solutions can be produced and installed in ways that specifically support the human circadian rhythm, enhance concentration, prevent sleeping disorders and improve overall well-being.

Non-visual effects of lighting
The non-visual effects of lighting can be classified into three groups – feelings, functioning and health. Feelings include our mood, vitality or state of relaxation. Functioning refers to our state of alertness leading to increased concentration and vigilance and cognitive performance including memory, comprehending languages, reasoning, problem solving, creativity and decision making.

Health effects relate to the sleep-wake cycle, the rhythm of rest and activity controlled by our biological clock which is essential for optimised functioning by day and good recovery sleep by night. SAD, ADHD and schizophrenia have all been linked to bio-rhythmic disturbance.

A prescription for light
In schools, specific lighting solutions can significantly improve concentration and cognitive performance and lead to improved test results.

For example, research suggests that error rates dropped from a first to a second test by about 45 per cent (comparison group with conventional lighting only 17 per cent) and cognitive speed improved by nine per cent (comparison group only five per cent). In addition, such lighting solutions can reduce motor restlessness, support alertness in the morning and improve social behaviour. Furthermore healthcare costs were reduced by 10 per cent due to reduced ADHD effects, efficacy of treatment for mental disorders improved by 18 per cent and staff turnover was reduced.

We spend on average 87 per cent of our time inside buildings which means we are shielded from a major part of the effect of daylight. It therefore seems logical that we should emulate the effect inside the built environment.

We know that the colour and amount of light we use and how long we are exposed to it are important considerations. Daylight is not static, it changes throughout the day. It produces bright blue rich light in the morning to send us a ‘wake up’ signal but exposure to that same blue light at night can be disruptive to sleep. In the evening daylight provides a lower level warm light which prepares us for rest.

Light is a form of medicine and we should use it wisely. This understanding is relatively new but already we are able to develop light ‘prescriptions’ that can alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and help reduce depression.

This article serves to highlight that there are benefits over and above energy savings from installing good lighting and controls. It is clear that further research is needed but lighting systems are already available which can support the circadian needs of pupils and staff to create well-being and improved cognitive performance in schools.

What is also clear is that this cannot be achieved by changing lamps alone and the services of a specialist lighting designer should be sought in order to maximise the benefits.

Further Information
www.thelia.org.uk