ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 29 Industry News Human-Centric Lighting: A Crucial Element for Retrofit Projects As the deadline to phase out uorescent lighting approaches, installers nationwide are busy transitioning to energy-ef cient LED lighting. Concurrently, there is a growing demand from customers for lighting control systems that manage xtures ef ciently. This trend is driven by the substantial energy savings—up to 90%—that the combination of LED lighting and control systems can offer. What many customers may not realise, however, is that these systems, when paired with tunable LED luminaires, can also enhance employee productivity, happiness, and health. Here’s how. Humans, like all living beings, possess an internal "inner clock" known as the circadian rhythm, which regulates our sleepwake cycles in sync with the natural light of day and night. Exposure to the right light at the right time signi cantly impacts our sleep quality, mood, and performance. For instance, it’s widely understood that blue light from screens can suppress melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep. Properly tuned lighting can mitigate such effects, supporting better sleep and overall well-being. Appropriate light levels, spectra, and exposure duration can positively affect people both physiologically and psychologically. This understanding is already in uencing hospital design in the Nordics, where humanDavid Hunt, Managing Director of Glamox Luxonic, delves into why human-centric lighting (HCL) should be a pivotal consideration in any retrofit project. Glamox centric lighting is a standard component in many healthcare tenders. Studies underline its bene ts: a general hospital in Korea found that patients with better daylight exposure had hospital stays shortened by 16%-41%. In Norway, a psychiatric hospital study showed that patients exposed to blue-depleted evening light slept longer and had extended rapid eye movement (REM) sleep compared to those under standard lighting conditions. The productivity bene ts of human-centric lighting are welldocumented. Research from University College London and VU Amsterdam, along with the University of Twente, has demonstrated productivity increases of 20% and 12%, respectively, under circadian lighting. Employees also reported feeling more energetic and happier. While the speci c gures may vary, the overarching trend indicates that lighting designed to mimic natural daylight can signi cantly impact workplace productivity. While HCL may not be a panacea for all productivity issues, it certainly offers substantial bene ts. From a business perspective, integrating humancentric lighting into building designs makes sound sense. Forward-thinking companies are already prioritising employee health and wellness in their infrastructure plans, recognising that healthier employees are less likely to take sick leave and more likely to be productive— potentially up to 20% more, according to research. Given the increasing adoption of lighting control systems, it is an opportune moment for enterprises and local authorities to embrace HCL in of ces, hospitals, and care facilities. Such a move promises to enhance the nation's well-being and economic performance, making it a win-win proposition for all stakeholders involved. 6 What is human centric lighting? HCL is a way of bringing the natural changes of light intensity and colour temperature indoors by using artificial light in order to imitate natural light. HCL is a way of bringing the natural changes of light intensity and colour temperature indoors by using artificial light in order to imitate natural light.
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