Modern and correct lighting in the workplace is becoming increasingly important. After all, it has an impact on many factors in working life, such as healthy and motivated employees and a safe working environment.
Normative principles are the basis for planning and installing lighting systems in the workplace. A large number of variables must be taken into account when implementing such projects. The most important is the brightness or illuminance, which is prescribed at a minimum of 500 lux. Dimmable solutions that allow the lighting to be adjusted to different external conditions and personal preferences are ideal. Flicker-free lighting is essential, as even imperceptible flickering can have a detrimental effect on concentration and, not least, health and well-being.
The color temperature («light color») and the color rendering index are also decisive. Neutral white light with values between 3500 and 5000K is ideal in working environments. This (color) spectrum is similar to daylight and is therefore considered ideal for concentrated work at a desk. In order to also achieve a natural perception of colors by the human eye, the color rendering index (CRI) should have a value of over 80.
Increasing attention is being paid to glare-free lighting in the working environment. The standardized uniform glare rating (UGR) must be below a value of 19 at VDU workstations in the office in order to meet all legal requirements with regard to direct glare. Architectural conditions, surfaces and the room lighting concept - direct or indirect, centralized or decentralized - all have an influence here.
The integration of this modern generation of lamps into semi-automatic control systems, such as motion and presence detectors or complex building automation systems (e.g. KNX or DALI systems), also ensures greater convenience and enormous potential for energy savings.
When planning lighting solutions in new buildings, it is important to take all these factors into account. Individual and optimal lighting conditions can thus be achieved at every workplace in any environment.
Existing, conventional lighting systems can also be converted to LED-based solutions with all the advantages described above. Both the installation of LED panels in suspended ceilings and the conversion of designer free-standing office luminaires and integration into building automation systems allow the environment to appear in a completely new light. With a manageable investment, low workload, long service life of the light sources and enormous energy savings, amortization usually takes place within a few years, depending on the intensity of use.
Published in the eco2friendly magazine fall/winter 2021