Lighting Application Series: Intelligent School Lighting

Because every industry has unique lighting needs, we’re beginning a series of posts that cover the best lighting solutions for some of the most common applications. For our first post in the series, we’re going to discuss the ever-important category of school lighting. Optimizing school lighting is so critical because it not only has the potential to significantly cut energy use and costs, but it directly impacts how well students learn and succeed in school. And, after all, improving achievement is something on every school’s agenda.

classroom lighting

How Can Upgraded Lighting Improve Your School?

1. Promotes the Health of Students, Teachers, and Staff

Many old-fashioned lamps have glares, flicker, cause eyestrain, and emit unpleasing, yellowish light. These problems create a far from ideal learning environment and can cause headaches, inattention, or general malaise.

2. Improves Learning

Students concentrate better and are more alert when given high-quality, natural-looking lighting. Studies have shown that attention span, concentration, performance, and behavior significantly improve when students learn and work in superior lighting. Also, teachers can create moods in the classroom and promote different objectives when given the ability to choose from a range of lighting options.

Interestingly, it’s even been shown that instances of hyperactivity are reduced when pupils are in calm, eye-pleasing lighting conditions.

3. Be Known as Environmentally Friendly

As an educational entity, it’s important to show students and the community the importance of reducing energy consumption and being kind to the environment.

What about the Costs?

One of the biggest challenges facing any school or district is budgetary limitations. There is always the need to spread what forever seems like too little funds across a wide range of vital areas, such as educational programs, new technology, renovating facilities, and more. This may lead you to wonder if the price of installing new, efficient school lighting is justifiable. Well, we tend to think that it is — not only because of the lights’ proven benefits to students, but also because the resulting energy savings immediately offsets some of the costs and leads to a relatively quick return on investment. In addition, there are rebate programs as well as local and federal tax incentives that cut costs even further.

How Much Energy Can You Save with Smart School Lighting?

When switching to energy-efficient school lighting, the amount of energy a school saves varies based on factors such as how inefficient the original lights were, placement of windows, hours of operation, etc. That being said, according to the Department of Education, school buildings are the fourth heaviest users of energy in the entire commercial sector and spend a combined $7.1 billion per year on electricity. As much as half of that electricity is used for lighting. Obviously there is great potential for reduction in consumption and costs.

Long-lasting, energy efficient school lighting also saves money by reducing maintenance needs (bulbs can last for years without being touched) and by lowering HVAC loads (modern lights produce less heat than older bulbs).

Educational Lighting Needs

Schools are active places that house a diverse set of activities, learning styles, people, and goals. With those things considered, intelligent school lighting should:

  • Provide adequate visibility to promote learning.
  • Have task lighting for labs, art rooms, or other special work areas.
  • Have dimming for media viewing and technology rooms.
  • Illuminate target areas, such as whiteboards, chalkboards, and presentation areas.
  • Provide visual comfort for all.
  • Offer safety.
  • Be aesthetically pleasing.
  • Be sustainable, efficient, and set an example to students and community of how to care for the environment.

Smart School Lighting Options

1. Upgrade Lamps Inside School

The first, most basic step any school can make is to swap old-fashioned T12 fluorescent lighting (common in many older schools) with higher performing T8 fluorescents or T8 LED Tubes. This alone can save up to 75% in energy costs while offering better quality light output.

2. Replace Incandescents with CFLs or LEDs

When upgrading linear fluorescents, don’t forget to replace the energy-wasting incandescents in down lights, lamps, sconces, and other fixtures with longer-lasting compact fluorescents or LEDs. These result in up to 90% energy savings and can last 10,000 hours or more.

3. Install Dimming and Lighting Controls

Things like dimmers and occupancy sensors make it possible to use only the amount of light that’s needed, which can lead to an extra 25-80% in energy reduction. Also, it gives teachers the power to create the ideal level of illumination for different learning environments.

4. Integrate Daylighting Systems

These systems utilize natural illumination from windows or skylights to offset the amount of electrical light requirements. Daylighting can work with shades or baffles, which are adjusted to open at preferred times of day and to let a controlled amount of outdoor light inside while adjusting the artificial lighting overhead. Daylighting can also work with sensors that are programmed to dim or shut off the lights when appropriate light levels are met.

A side benefit of relying on windows is they let students stay connected with the outdoors and offer visual stimulation.

5. Upgrade Lighting in Auditoriums, Gymnasiums, and Athletic Fields

Larger spaces and outdoor areas require special lighting considerations, as they are often multi-function places and must have lights powerful enough to illuminate expansive areas. A school lighting consultation with a professional will help you choose the ideal lamps for your setup, but it’s almost always recommended to upgrade out-of-date lights, such as mercury vapor lamps to modern HIDs, fluorescents, or LEDs. Today’s lights offer more lumens per watt, have improved color, and don’t have delayed warmup and restart times.

Put Your School in the Best Possible Light

Ultimately, intelligent school lighting is another way you can give your students and teachers an educational advantage while simultaneously saving money and energy. Making the switch to premier bulbs and fixtures might demand considerable upfront effort or investment, yet it pays off in the end with lower energy costs and healthier, more productive students and educators.

One Response to “Lighting Application Series: Intelligent School Lighting”

  1. Anna CollinsApril 8, 2022 at 12:15 am #

    It helped that you mentioned how students can perform better if their learning environment has natural-looking lighting and instances of hyperactivity are reduced. My son is an elementary school student and recently, he’s been complaining about how it’s hard to concentrate in class since the lighting is too gloomy. I’ll have to bring this up during a PTA meeting and hopefully, we can get in touch with electrical services that can help install new lighting systems.

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