Lighting is one of the biggest complaints in the workplace as many employees feel there is not enough lighting in the office area or the lighting is too harsh and unnatural. A recent study confirmed these complaints by running a trial with windows in offices and found the employees were overall happier, healthier, and slept better at night.
Roughly twenty-two percent of all the electricity used in the United States is used for lighting. The type of light bulbs used will impact the harshness and glow of the lighting. Some lights have more of a yellow tone while others have more of a white tone. These varies based on the strength and type of the light.
Many homes and businesses are quickly moving to LED lights due to the extreme cost savings and better lighting. Some businesses have found that switching to LED lights reduced their energy consumption by up to eighty percent.
In addition to the cost savings, a more natural light can be created using LED lights. You can get a whiter tone, which takes the harshness out of most yellow tone light bulbs. Finally, LED bulbs outlast all other light bulbs currently on the market.
Commercial lighting design takes all these factors and variables into account when designing a space. Interior lighting designs are created to intentionally take advantage of natural light sources and brighten areas without natural light. Residential lighting design can utilize the same techniques to maximize lighting and create a warmer lighting tone for the whole house.
While most home owners simply add lights when they feel they need more light in a room, utilizing commercial lighting design principles and redoing the lighting in the entire house making it brighter and more natural. Open air home designs are very popular right now as people want to feel relaxed in an open space. For many this meant adding a lot of windows throughout the area to provide as much natural light as possible.
While this approach did increase natural lighting during the day, many did not take into account the lighting needs for the evening hours, which led to randomly placed lights or dimly light rooms. Additionally, increased windows often led to increased heating and cooling bills as windows are not as well insulated as walls.
A simple redesign using commercial lighting design principles can solve all these problems and create a well-light and livable area fr everyone.