Many of us spend much of our day indoors, without access to natural sunlight. That’s why it’s important to provide adequate lighting in our work and rest spaces. One of the key factors affecting comfort and productivity is the intensity and color temperature of the light.
The color temperature of light refers to its hue, which is expressed like the normal air temperature in kelvins (K). Light sources vary widely in temperature, and proper selection of lighting will be crucial to ensure comfort and productivity at work and at rest.
Heat – cold
The warm temperature, typical of traditional incandescent bulbs, of about 2700-3000 K, creates a cozy atmosphere. Warm light will work best in the late afternoon and evening, at home, when the body is relaxing and preparing for sleep. However, in workplaces that require focus and precision, a warm color temperature, especially during the brightest hours of the day, will not provide adequate productivity.
The cool temperature, usually around 5,000 K, creates bright, stimulating light, similar to natural midday sunlight. It is particularly suitable for workplaces that require precision, such as offices, laboratories and conference rooms. Cool light stimulates alertness, improves concentration and increases efficiency.
How clear is adequately clear?
Equally important is the intensity of the light and adjusting its brightness to the task at hand. Reading a book with inadequate lighting is an unhealthy strain on the eyes, but also the blinding glare of a fluorescent light on a clean white page is not good. Intensity is expressed in the unit lux (lx). Sunlight on a sunny day is usually more than 10,000 lux, but this is a value that should not be attempted indoors. For computer work, about 350-500 lux is recommended, while for relaxing with a book, about 300 is enough. Values close to 1,000 lux are usually needed only in special applications where precise, delicate or dangerous work is required like operating rooms in hospitals.
All measurements in one place
After analyzing the values describing the physical properties of light and their effects on health, it is not difficult to conclude that the best solution would be to simulate natural sunlight. When waking up in the morning, yellow-colored light will work best, during the day, cooler colors will give us the best performance, and in the evening, sunset-like lighting will have a soothing effect. For home use, a good solution is LED technology, which, in addition to a wide range of color temperatures to choose from, usually still provides options for changing the intensity of the emitted light.
In order to find out which values of the two described parameters we are dealing with, you will need an instrument to measure them. Both described parameters are measured by the Espirio system. It features a small and portable design, which makes it easy to use in various places – office, home or school. In addition to measuring lighting, Espirio has a range of sensors that measure levels of particulate matter, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, noise and humidity, among others, making it a very comprehensive solution for measuring indoor environmental parameters. With one device, we have control over our environment, and as a result, we can more easily take care of our comfort and health.
