Technical-Economic Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Measures Applied to the Artificial Lighting System of a School

Cristina Baglivo,Paolo Maria Congedo,Simona Antonaci,Marco Beccali,Marina Bonomolo

doi:10.3390/app11146664

Cristina Baglivo, Paolo Maria Congedo + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146664

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Journal: Applied Sciences	Publication Date: Jul 20, 2021
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Salento, University of Palermo

Abstract

Ensuring optimum interior lighting is a topic of great importance, as this influences not only the well-being of users but also the optimal performance of visual tasks. Lighting can be natural, but if not sufficient, it can be compensated with artificial lighting. This study highlights a methodology for designing a new lighting system that takes into account both technical and economic aspects. The method was applied to an existing school located in southern Italy, in which the electricity consumption is related to the current lighting system. The school is chosen as being representative of the construction type and layout of many local schools. In addition, the coexistence of several visual tasks with different design requisites (e.g., illuminance levels) makes the school a very complex environment. The school lighting is modelled in Google SketchUp and imported into Daysim to simulate the yearly and hourly daylight indoor contribution. Dialux Evo has been used to simulate and design artificial lighting. The results show a reduction of energy consumption of 33% with the simple replacement of fluorescent luminaires with LEDs, while the LED lamp dimming and modulation for rows of luminaires leads to a 95% reduction in energy consumption compared with the current state.

Highlights

Nowadays, the topic of energy efficiency plays a central role in the research world
A proper design of the lighting system allows for achieving excellent results in terms of comfort perceived within the spaces [2] and from energy and economic points of view [3]
This section proposes three post-intervention scenarios applied to artificial lighting systems

Summary

Introduction

The topic of energy efficiency plays a central role in the research world. The climate is constantly changing, and it is thought that designing buildings with high-energy performance can mitigate its impact. Designing zero-energy buildings means to focus the attention on their high-energy performance, comfort conditions, and excellent levels of air quality [1]. The performance of natural light in the perception of colour is superior to other sources, even if, in recent decades, new technologies can provide light with characteristics increasingly similar to daylight. Visible radiation from the sun and sky adds natural dynamics to the lighting conditions of an environment through the temporal variations in colour, contrast, and illuminance of each surface. Such effects can hardly be simulated using artificial sources [6]

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