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In educational institutes, lighting plays a massive role in the productivity and comfort of students and staffing alike. School lighting can promote a healthier learning environment for everyone involved. Read on to learn more about the effect of quality school lights and receive some advice on implementing them as well.
Why Do You Need Good Lighting in a School?Â
The correlation between lighting and student performance is something that has been studied extensively. Quality lighting in a school is instrumental to a comfortable, productive work environment. Lighting, especially cooler lights around the daylight temperature range, can help students feel more awake, alert and focused.
Having plenty of light can also make the classroom or other area of the school more comfortable to be in. Abundant lighting may also prevent eye strain and fatigue. This makes it rather important in schools where students are constantly reading books, writing on paper, or looking at the white- or blackboard.
Beyond that, a study conducted by the Heschong Mahone Group has shown that students who are exposed to natural light in schools performed up to 18 percent better than those who weren’t. Natural lighting may positively impact their mood, performance, and ability to rest at night.
The Importance of LED Lighting in Schools Â
Over time, LED lighting has taken the place of traditional bulbs due to their many benefits. This change has been especially popular in commercial and educational settings. LED lighting for schools brings with it many perks that traditional halogen or incandescent bulbs do not.
- With LED bulbs, you have access to a wide spectrum of colour temperatures. From cool classroom lighting to warm lights in the theatre, LED lights present a wide variety of temperatures to choose from. Beyond that, they come in a number of lumen counts, letting you determine just how bright a given space is.
- ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Energy efficient lighting is the first step toward sustainable school lighting and a greener learning environment. LED bulbs consume 80 percent less energy than traditional bulbs, which can decrease the carbon footprint of your educational institute.
- COST EFFECTIVENESS. Schools have dozens of rooms, each with lights on for most of the day. The energy efficient nature of LED lights can help reduce the power bill, letting you save money in your budget and put it towards other things.
What Colour Temperature is Best for Schools?Â
The colour temperature in school lights should be one that is conducive to a healthier learning environment. For this reason, it is recommended that you choose cool white light. This colour of light promotes greater levels of focus and concentration, which can help keep students on task.
Gymnasium lighting, library lighting and classroom lighting alike will all benefit from cooler colours. Cool colour lights aren’t as likely to cause eye strain when studying and reading for long periods of time. By making the students more comfortable as they work, you may notice an uptick in productivity as well.
Is Outdoor School Lighting Important? Â
Outdoor lighting is indeed important on educational grounds. Schools need to be a safe place for everyone on the property, and outdoor lights can promote that. Having bright lights near the main entrance and side entrance will keep these areas well lit early in the morning before the sun is fully out.
Car park lighting will allow teachers and parents to get to and from the school in the mornings or evenings comfortably. It will also make drivers feel more secure in leaving their cars parked and unattended all day.
Tips for Properly Lighting Schools Â
Below, you’ll find tips on illumination, from grade school to college lighting.
Eliminate Glare
Try to avoid creating glare with your lighting. This can cause discomfort in the learning environment and pose distractions. One way to avoid this is to avoid glossy floors, such as the ones you may commonly find in gymnasiums. This will prevent light from bouncing off of it and into students’ eyes.
Light the White- or Blackboard with Purpose
Shining lights near the board at a 45 degree angle can prevent reflective glare from appearing on it. Beyond that, it can also help illuminate the teacher better, making their expressions and gestures easier for students to see.
Utilize Natural Lighting
Allow as much natural lighting as you can into your classroom. Usually, this is as simple as getting rid of the shades over the windows. You can also choose retractable shades that allow you to let natural light into the room at will, and make it darker during other times of the day.
Create a Plan
Lighting design for schools will require a little bit of thought before implementing. Think about the areas of the building you want to light, and your goal in each one. Then, plan to purchase fixtures that provide the best colour temperature and lumen counts to accomplish your goals.
Use Occupancy Sensors
One way to save energy when lighting a school is to use occupancy sensors. These sensors will detect movement and occupancy in the room, turning lights on when there are people around, and turning them off again when the room is empty. This is an especially good idea for reception lighting, since it is a space that is not occupied constantly during the school day.
Incorporate Emergency Lighting
In the event of a power failure, you’ll need emergency lights to help guide students and staff to exits. Emergency backup lights and lighted exit signs should be added in all hallways and entrance/exit areas.
Consider Luminance Contrast
It is important to remember that not all surfaces and colours will reflect light the same way. If there are darker colours in a room, or a blackboard instead of a white board, more light is going to be absorbed than reflected. This type of room will require higher lumen counts to make up for that.
Conversely, rooms with white boards and lighter colours will reflect more light. You can avoid glare bouncing around the room by using lower lumen levels to achieve the balanced lighting you need.
Conclusion
Proper lighting in schools can create a healthier, safer learning environment for students and staff alike. Take care to properly plan your lighting when building a new school, or use the tips above to optimise your current lighting design plan.
Ideas for Lighting for Schools
Create a comfortable learning environment with your classroom, drama hall or library lighting with the LDC961 12 Watt Dimmable Single Modular LED Downlight. This light is perfect for any room in the school thanks to its dimmable nature and its colour temperature choices. It is available in both 3000K warm white light, or 6000K cool white light. It generates an ultra bright 900 lumens of light at a 38 degree beam angle and is designed to be used in multiples for best results. This durable aluminium light measures 131 millimeters by 131 millimeters in size.
For rooms in a school that lacks a lot of natural lighting, you can mimic it with the 595×595 LED Sky Panel Ceiling Architectural Lighting Feature. This panel looks like a window showcasing a blue sky above. It generates 6000K cool white light that matches the colour temperature of natural daylight. This fixture outputs 2900 lumens of light, making it ultra bright and clearly visible, perfect for use in large schoolyards. The light shines at a wide beam angle to cast plenty of illumination all around. It measures a large size of 595 millimeters by 595 millimeters.
Light up libraries, gymnasiums, classrooms and beyond with the LSP196 24 Watt Black and Gold LED Track Light. This light has an ultra bright lumen count of 1900 and comes in both warm and cool light colours. The illumination shines through a honeycomb filter at a 20 degree angle, preventing any glare. It comes in a sleek black colour finished with an anodized gold trim, perfect for inclusion in any room. Overall, this track light measures 218 millimeters by 120 millimeters in size.
Ensure the school grounds are well lit with the LFL011 9 Watt 700mm Tall Black LED Bollard Light. These ground lights generate 800 lumens of 3000K warm white light that is perfect for lighting pathways and car parks. The illumination shines 360 degrees around, casting illumination in a wider area around itself. It comes finished in a sleek black with an opal acrylic diffuser. This light fixture is crafted out of high quality aluminium that has been IP65 rated to protect it against exposure to the elements. Overall, it measures 700 millimeters in height.
