Leading-edge lighting boosts productivity and profit
In the age of sensors, real-time data from lighting can help building owners pinpoint under-used space and drive smarter decision-making, says Eagle Lighting’s Ronan Marsh.
“Human beings have walked the earth for millennia, but we’ve used electric lights for just over a century. Lighting plays a central role in our health, wellbeing and productivity,” says Marsh, Eagle Lighting’s marketing manager.
Good lighting is not simply about making things visible. Our circadian rhythms – the physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow a 24-hour cycle – are genetically fixed. And they are regulated by the levels of light in our surroundings.
Disruption of these circadian rhythms is considered the primary cause of seasonal affective disorder. “Our body clocks revolve around the sun, so when we spent most of our time indoors we are interfering with our biology,” Marsh explains.
Moving from “daylight into an under-lit and dark, or over-lit and glary environment” affects workers’ productivity levels too. “Productivity gains come when the room has a balanced brightness, which encourages a wide, open pupil and a comfortable eye. Glare inhibits productivity,” Marsh says.
Eagle Lighting’s parent company, Fagerhult has spent many decades researching the impact of light on human activity and wellbeing. The company has undertaken several studies into the influence of lighting on productivity. One study found students in classrooms with more ambient light – or light that illuminates the walls and ceilings as well as the working areas – were more alert and achieved better school results.
Eagle Lighting has been manufacturing customised lighting solutions in Australia for close to years, and collaborates with developers, building services engineers, building owners and tenants on a wide range of commercial projects from new fitouts to heritage buildings.
The company’s latest lighting solutions harness the power of Bluetooth so building users can control their own workspaces. The result is “smart, proximate and ubiquitous,” Marsh explains.
“People today, particularly digital natives, want to control their individual workspaces.
“When your phone is connected to the lighting you can personalise your space and adapt the lighting intensity, temperature and colour to suit the task.
“This technology makes lighting the conduit to facility managers, as they collect valuable data on space utilisation and occupant preference,” Marsh adds.
All information, including lighting performance, can be monitored though a cloud-based system even when the building services team is offsite.
Occupancy sensing can help with demand response management, and identify areas of under-used space, in turn enhancing energy savings, reducing maintenance costs and maximising floorplates.
“We are seeing huge take up of quality lighting and smart lighting solutions as building owners understand the value of this technology – as a productivity booster, an enabler of wellness and a source of data.”
Learn more about Eagle Lighting.