Focus: Energy Efficiency

The value of daylighting, even with LEDs

Even when LEDs mimic sunlight, expert see LEDs as complementary to — but not replacing — daylighting strategies


Daylighting’s positive effects on building performance and human health are well known. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center (LRC) studies have reported on how daylit environments synchronizing human circadian rhythms with the solar day, according to an article from Building Operating Management on the FacilitiesNet website. 

In addition, daylighting can reduce electric lighting needs substantially.

On the other hand, the sun can sometimes be too bright and too warm, subjecting building occupants to glare and thermal stress. And sometimes the sun hides behind gray skies for days.

Today’s daylight LED (light-emitting diode) lamp marketers claim to offer the sun's benefits, using very few watts. In fact, visible-spectrum LEDs have come a long way since their invention in 1962. Using advanced controls, white-tunable LEDs can simulate sunrise, sunset, and the sun’s numerous variations throughout the day. Programming LEDs can even tailor applications to recreate artificial daylight that simulates an individual user’s geographic location.

Read the article.



August 6, 2019


Topic Area: Energy Efficiency


Recent Posts

What 'Light' Daily Cleaning of Patient Rooms Misses

Most environmental services workers still clean as if they were wiping dust off a countertop, not disrupting a living, structured community.


Sprinkler Compliance: Navigating Code Mandates, Renovation Triggers and Patient Safety

As CMS deadlines approach and renovation projects accelerate, healthcare facility managers must understand how NFPA 101, state fire codes and sprinkler design strategies intersect.


MUSC Board of Trustees Approves $1.1B South Carolina Cancer Hospital

Research and education are intentionally embedded in the hospital’s design, with dedicated spaces for scientific collaboration, clinical investigation and training.


Study Outlines Hand Hygiene Guidelines for EVS Staff

Researchers find that current guidelines for hand hygiene don’t include EVS workers and suggest indicators to fill that gap.


McCarthy Completes $65M Sharp Rees-Stealy Kearny Mesa MOB Modernization

The completed tenant improvement includes approximately 100,000 square feet of improved space across two buildings and represents an investment of $65 million.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.