Indoor lighting is crucial for our daily lives as it affects human emotions and moods. In educational institutions, lighting is even more critical due to its impact on student health, behavior, and learning. Studies show natural lighting can significantly improve students' academic performance and health. In contrast, fluorescent lighting can cause health problems, stress, hyperactivity, and anxiety among students, leading to poor learning performance. Therefore, alternative lighting solutions should be identified to promote a healthy learning environment.
One such alternative to fluorescent lighting is LED lighting, which provides the same brightness without causing negative emotions in students. LED lighting has been proven to reduce students' stress and anxiety levels while promoting concentration and focus. Additionally, LED lighting is energy-efficient, making it a sustainable and cost-effective solution for educational institutions. Schools can create an optimal learning environment that enhances student performance and promotes their overall well-being by opting for LED lighting.
Lighting Solutions for Schools and Classrooms
Use Natural Lighting Effectively
In most schools, natural light sources are incorporated into the design of the building. These sources of natural light can help determine the artificial lighting needs of the school, from large windows to smaller accent windows. While natural light is encouraged, it should not be relied upon solely, as the amount of natural light will change throughout the day. When choosing fixtures, it's essential to consider the amount of natural light in the space, but also keep in mind that there will be times when natural light sources need to be blocked, such as during audio/visual presentations or when there are distractions outside that hinder student learning. Although natural light can improve student focus and performance, it's also essential to have a reliable and appropriate artificial lighting system in place.
LED classroom lighting can lead to significant energy cost savings for schools and educational institutions. Electric bills are lower because LEDs consume less power than fluorescent lights. In accordance with the Department of Energy, LED lighting can consume up to 90% less energy than other light sources and last up to 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs, resulting in long-term savings.
Schools that use fluorescent lights may have higher maintenance costs over time due to the need for frequent replacement of traditional light sources. This can lead to crew members spending more time switching out light bulbs, especially those in hard-to-reach areas, causing downtime in some facilities. LED school light eliminates the need for frequent bulb changes, allowing maintenance to focus on more important projects.
Having the appropriate lighting layout can significantly affect the learning environment of classrooms. Older educational lighting technologies like fluorescent bulbs had many issues, such as buzzing, flickering, and toxic mercury. These problems can cause headaches and other distractions for both students and teachers, which can ultimately affect the learning process. With LED classroom lighting, it is possible to eliminate these issues since they do not include any toxic mercury materials. This virtually removes all unnecessary distractions, allowing students to focus on their studies better. LED lights can also help reduce eye strain, essential for students who spend long hours studying. Overall, the importance of having the right lighting layout in classrooms cannot be overstated, and LED classroom lighting can provide an excellent solution to enhance the learning process.
LED lights for classrooms and schools have health benefits beyond improving concentration and cognitive abilities. Fluorescent bulbs and ballasts can have carcinogens that harm the nervous system if they break and leak. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency specifically advises against using T12 fluorescent ballasts because they can discharge small amounts of harmful chemicals. Switching to LED lighting can prevent carcinogen exposure, helping students and faculty avoid long-term health issues.
Schools can take several steps to manage their school ceiling lights to control energy costs and save money. One of these is to use lighting solutions equipped with dimmable options, reflectors, and timers. School lighting fixtures can lower energy consumption using dimmable options based on the current illumination needs. Reflectors also play a key role in energy savings by ensuring an even distribution of light throughout the school, reducing the need for additional lighting fixtures. Additionally, timers can be particularly useful in managing energy use by ensuring that lights are only on when needed. By taking these steps, schools can significantly reduce their energy costs and contribute to a more environmentally sustainable future.
When it comes to lighting fixtures for schools and classrooms, there are a few options to consider. Here are a few LED lighting fixtures that might be ideal for your space.
LED linear lights are an ideal lighting solution for schools and classrooms. They can replace 5-6 metal halide fixtures with just four 4ft LED linear lights, providing the same brightness while saving on energy costs. By choosing LED lights, you can enjoy a variety of white tints and constant lighting output without flicker and noise. This type of lighting can reduce lighting costs by up to 80%, which is why many schools have switched to LED high bay lighting fixtures. They are perfect for lighting up canteens, gymnasiums, and corridors.
LED downlights can be installed in hidden areas inside the ceiling without taking up any physical space, which is a major benefit. This gives teachers more room for educational posters, classroom toys, or cubbies to keep students organized. Downlights come in different types, such as gimbal downlights that can be moved in multiple directions and surface-mounted downlights installed just a bit lower than the ceiling height. They can be found in hallways, cafeterias, and bathrooms, helping students and teachers navigate confidently.
LED track systems and pendants offer a versatile and efficient lighting solution for classrooms and schools. They are easy to install and provide various lighting options. The LED track system can be used to create a unique lighting design in the classroom, while the pendants can be used to provide general lighting in the cafeteria or gymnasium. Using LED lighting fixtures, schools can create an optimal learning environment that enhances student performance and promotes overall well-being.
LED flat panels offer a great alternative to traditional lighting systems, especially for schools and classrooms. They are known to provide better lighting quality and offer users a wide range of benefits. For instance, unlike fluorescent lighting, which can cause glare and flicker, LED flat panels enhance focus and reduce eyestrain and headaches, thus helping students stay alert and attentive throughout the day. Additionally, the lighting from LED flat panels is more natural and evenly distributed, which can help prevent drowsiness and increase overall comfort in the classroom. With these benefits in mind, it's no wonder why more and more schools and institutions are switching to LED Flat Panels to enhance the learning environment and promote better student academic performance.
LED flat panels also help our bodies maintain their circadian rhythm by mimicking daylight, keeping students awake and alert. In addition, studies have shown that students are more likely to concentrate on tasks and projects when the color temperature is lower, such as 4000K and 5000K.
During hazards or emergencies, LED exits and emergency signs are crucial for safely finding the way out of the building. They are equipped with a battery backup, ensuring they remain operational when needed. These signs also help schools comply with building codes, which require a minimum surface value of five-foot candles and easily distinguishable colors. It is important to note that larger cities may have their own codes, so it is advisable to use approved exit signs. If unsure about the codes in your city or town, reach out to the local fire marshal or inspector for guidance.
LED area lights are commonly used in school parking lots and around the perimeter to enhance security. They have a longer lifespan than traditional technologies, up to 100,000 hours of maintenance-free operation, and have a high color rendering indexes, making it easier for security cameras to detect any suspicious activity around the school or campus grounds at night. LED area lights come in various lighting distribution patterns, including Type III, IV, and V, designed to optimally light a space with no wasted light. Proper LED area lighting can increase a sense of safety for pupils walking back to their homes from evening study sessions on a school campus.
There are different classroom lighting types, but did you know it has a measurable difference in how students learn? Fluorescent lights are trendy in most schools, offices, and other commercial spaces, but this is not the best type of lighting to promote learning. It can harm learning.
Research studies have shown that fluorescent lighting can cause headaches and migraines, increase anxiety, decrease concentration, and instill an overall sense of discomfort after long-term exposure. That’s just the beginning. Let’s look at some of the details behind why fluorescent lighting can be harmful and what you can do to help fix it to promote positive learning in children. This will benefit everyone in the schools – teacher and student alike!
Though a teacher may not choose what lighting is used in schools, you can arm yourself with the information you need to make a great case at your schools. What else is there for a teacher to do but inform others? Let’s look at how lighting makes a difference at your school and what you can do to foster a stronger learning environment.
The short answer is yes. The human body is not created to be under artificial lights and craves natural lighting when it can get it. Thus, if students are only exposed to fluorescent lighting, they may face problems with focusing, anxiety, and more when at school. Fluorescent bulbs negatively impact our natural circadian rhythms, leading to sleep problems. Students who are not well-rested will face many attention issues because they do not feel awake during the day. All of these factors impact learning performance, reading, productivity, and more in your school.
While there are strategies that you can employ to help combat this in your classrooms, providing even limited exposure to daylight, full-spectrum light, or blue light like LED lights can help improve your learning environment, providing measurable results in your class’s test scores and more.
We all are familiar with the traditional, bright white ceiling lights. They are in our offices, our shopping centers, our classrooms, and even in some cases, our homes. That’s because fluorescent lighting is cheap, provides good energy efficiency, and is easy to install in any room. But just because it doesn’t take a lot of time to install doesn’t mean it’s a good solution for your work.
In fact, it may be harming your health and the health of your students. Research studies have reported that it can cause migraines, headaches, eye strain, sleep problems, stress, anxiety, and more. The body prefers to be under natural light sunlight, and when it’s not, you may notice an impact on student behavior.
Not all teachers have a choice of what light to use in their classroom, but if you can choose the type of lighting, you should get something that is full-spectrum or blue light. This includes LED lighting. This type of classroom lighting is a better alternative than fluorescent lights for many reasons. The lights are energy efficient, so they won’t affect your bottom line. LED lights produce little to no UV radiation, which is better for your skin and your eyes. They don’t flicker, meaning those glare headaches and migraines, eye strain, and sleep problems will be a thing of the past. These lights don’t contain mercury, so there isn’t any risk of exposure to this harmful substance either.
LED lighting is just one option, but if you are using blue lights, make sure that you don’t overexpose your students to that type of classroom lighting. Since children spend a lot of time in front of screens these days, too much blue light can be just as harmful.
Different areas of your classroom should have different levels of luminance or lux. For example, the front of the classroom near the board should be brighter, while you can dim the lamps in other areas to help reduce exposure to harsh lighting. To promote ideal conditions in your classroom, consider using a minimum of 150 lux. Wall lighting should be more than 75 lux, while ceiling lux should be more than 50 lux. The levels depend on where your light is, but between 150 and 300 lux will be a great solution.
If you can use natural lighting in your classroom, this is preferred – though you may need shades! Even a mix of natural lightings, like windows and artificial lighting will help your classroom more than pure fluorescent lights. If you don’t have access to sunlight because you may be on the basement floor or in the middle of a building, you can design strategies to get around the nasty fluorescent light in your classroom lighting.
There are light filters that will reduce the negative impact of fluorescent light by disbursing light rays in your classroom. Students in your classrooms will notice the improved performance when you fit these over the bulbs and panels. They can be purchased from Amazon and other retailers. They come in a different color or a different design, helping you shift your room’s mood when you are changing around these filters.
Teachers have a lot to consider for the classrooms, so lighting may not be top of the light. However, it is an essential aspect of your classrooms and your schools. Proper lighting is beneficial, playing an important role that will improve learning for years to come. If you don’t know what kind of lighting you have in your school, check the bulbs. You will see an indicator that notes what lighting you have in your school.
The harsh white color can lower mood, decrease sleep, cause focus problems, and more. This isn’t just in students – it’s teachers too, anyone in the school building.
You may not choose the lighting, but you can help make it a positive experience for everyone involved.