Evaluation and Improvement of Lighting Efficiency in Working Spaces

Ana Castillo-Martinez,Juan Aguado-Delgado,Jose-Amelio Medina-Merodio,Jose-Maria Gutierrez-Martinez,Salvador Otón,Carmen De-Pablos-Heredero

doi:10.3390/su10041110

Ana Castillo-Martinez, Juan Aguado-Delgado + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041110

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Abstract

Lighting is an essential element for modern life, promoting a sense of wellbeing for users. However, bad illumination may produce health problems such as headaches and fatigue, among other vision problems. For that reason, this paper proposes the development of a smartphone-based application to help in lighting evaluation to guarantee the compliance of illumination regulations and to help increase illuminance efficiency, reducing its energy consumption. To perform this evaluation, the smartphone can be used as a lighting measurement tool, evaluating those measurements through an intelligent agent based in rules capable of guiding the decision-making process. As a result, this tool allows the evaluation of the real working environment to guarantee lighting requirements, helping in the prevention of health problems derived from bad illumination and improving the lighting efficiency at the same time.

Highlights

Lighting is an essential element in modern life with a high impact on three basic human needs: visual comfort to provide a sense of wellbeing, visual performance to allow the carrying out of visual tasks, even in difficult circumstances and for long periods, and security, reducing the risk of suffering an accident
Keeping in mind the fact of the importance of smartphones, joint with the problems found in lighting management, this research aims to analyze how the development of a mobile application-based intelligent agent based in rules may help to enhance the lighting levels in workplaces, allowing users to manage and assess consumption and providing information about occupational risks prevention
The proposed hypotheses are the following: Hypothese 1 (H1): The use of mobile applications could help in the prevention of occupational risks

Summary

Introduction

Lighting is an essential element in modern life with a high impact on three basic human needs: visual comfort to provide a sense of wellbeing, visual performance to allow the carrying out of visual tasks, even in difficult circumstances and for long periods, and security, reducing the risk of suffering an accident. Despite the many regulations which aim to ensure a correct lighting level, in many cases it can be poor or inadequate for users. This problem happens because the regulations don’t take into account all the lighting parameters which influence visual comfort, it being necessary to take the measurements in situ [1]. If we focus on the concept of lighting in workplaces, it is possible to see how proper lighting is essential, allowing users to see without difficulties the tasks being carried out, increasing productivity [4], and reducing accident risk and fatigue. Correct lighting should allow the distinguishing of shapes, colors, and objects in movement and the appreciation of the relief, and allow everything to be done and without fatigue, i.e., to ensure visual comfort permanently [5]

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