The effectiveness of light-emitting diode lighting for providing circadian stimulus in office spaces while minimizing energy use

Abstract

Architectural lighting has traditionally addressed visual performance and horizontal illuminance on the work plane, later focussing on energy efficiency, while only recently paying particular regard to human health outcomes. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of several light-emitting diode lighting strategies for delivering circadian stimulus to occupants of a typical office space while minimizing energy use. The study employed photometric simulations in a typical open-office space, delivering a criterion circadian stimulus of 0.3 to calculation points modelled at the simulated occupants’ eye level. Six luminaire types, two luminous intensity distributions, six spectral power distributions and two horizontal illuminances were evaluated, resulting in 144 unique lighting conditions. Additionally, the study calculated the discomfort glare for selected luminaires with the highest total lumen output, smallest aperture and direct-only luminous intensity distributions at the higher of the two horizontal illuminances (500 lx). The most impactful strategy involved supplementing common overhead lighting with a desktop luminaire delivering light directly to the simulated office occupants’ eyes, which provided greater circadian stimulus and used less energy than overhead luminaires that were capable of delivering the criterion circadian stimulus of 0.3.