EXERCISED CONTROL, LIGHTING CHOICES, AND ENERGY USE: AN OFFICE SIMULATION EXPERIMENT

Abstract

The belief that individual control leads to beneficial behavioural outcomes underlies many recommendations to install individual controls on workplace lighting, temperature, and ventilation. The present experiment compared the work performance and satisfaction of 47 office workers who were given choices concerning workplace lighting (CS) with age- and sex-matched partners (PP) who were given no choices but worked under identical lighting. Preferred luminous conditions were recorded for both groups. Satisfaction with lighting and the work environment were high for both groups, and the majority of participants chose lighting conditions consistent with current codes and standards for lighting, including energy use. CS participants had greater perceived control than PP participants, but there were no differences in satisfaction, mood, performance or health. PP participants' lighting choices, recorded at the end of the day-long session, created less VDT glare than CS choices. Although there was no short-term benefit of perceived control over lighting, it appears that experience with workplace conditions could lead to the ability to reduce unpleasant conditions if choices were available.