Lighting

Not to be confused with lightning.

Lighting refers to either artificial light sources such as lamps or to natural illumination of interiors from daylight. Lighting represents a major component of energy consumption, accounting for a significant part of all energy consumed worldwide. In major cities, light pollution is of growing concern. Artificial lighting is provided today by electric lights, but previously by Gas lighting, candles or oil lamps. Proper lighting can enhance task performance or aesthetics, while there can be energy wastage and adverse health effects of lighting. Indoor lighting is a form of fixture or furnishing, and a key part of interior design. Lighting can also be an intrinsic component of landscaping.

Dark lighting in a concert hall allow laser effects to be visible

Light Fixtures

Lighting fixtures come in a wide variety of styles for various functions. Some are very plain and functional, while some are pieces of art in themselves. Nearly any material can be used, so long as it can tolerate the heat and is in keeping with safety codes.

Proper selection of fixtures is complicated by the requirement to minimize the veiling reflections off of printed material. Since the exact orientation of printed material may not be closed controlled, a visual comfort probability can be calculated for a given set of lighting fixtures.

Lighting Types are classified by intended use as general, localized, or task lighting, depending largely on the distribution of the light produced by the fixture.

General lighting fills in between the two and is intended for general illumination of an area. Indoors, this would be a basic lamp on a table or floor, or a fixture on the ceiling. Outdoors, general lighting for a parking lot may be as low as 10-20 lux (1-2 footcandles) since pedestrians and motorists already used to the dark will need little light for crossing the area.
Task lighting is mainly functional and is usually the most concentrated, for purposes such as reading or inspection of materials. For example, reading poor-quality reproductions may require task lighting levels up to 1500 lux (150 footcandles), and some inspection tasks or surgical procedures require even higher levels.
Accent lighting is mainly decorative, intended to highlight pictures, plants, or other elements of interior design or landscaping.

Methods of lighting are:

Downlighting is most common, with fixtures on the ceiling casting light downward. This tends to be the most efficient method, used in both offices and homes.

Uplighting is less common, often used to bounce indirect light off of the ceiling and back down, though this is less efficient than direct lighting. It can also be used for dramatic effect, such as creating interesting shadows by shining through houseplant leaves or across coarse textures like brick or stone.

Front lighting is also quite common, but tends to make the subject look flat as its casts almost no shadow. Lighting from the side is the less common, as it tends to produce glare near eye level. Backlighting either around or through an object is mainly for accent.

Wall-mounted light with shadows.

Forms of Lighting include alcove lighting, which like most other uplighting is indirect. This is often done with fluorescent lighting or rope light, or occasionally with neon lighting. It is a form of backlighting.

Soffit lighting can be general or a decorative wall-wash, sometimes used to bring out texture (like stucco or plaster) on a wall, though this may also show its defects as well. The effect depends heavily on the exact type of lighting used.

Recessed lighting (often called "pot lights" in Canada and "can lights" in the U.S.) is popular, with fixtures mounted above the ceiling so as to appear flush with it. These downlights use narrow spotlights, or wider-angle floodlights, both of which are bulbs having their own reflectors. They may also have their own reflector built-in to the fixture, so that they can use common, less costly bulbs. Either type can be incandescent, fluorescent, HID or LED, though only incandescents or LEDs make narrow enough spots. True can lights are uplights, resting on the floor in a can-like fixture, or mounted on a spike or even in the ground for plants or outdoors.

Track lighting, invented by Lightolier, was popular at one point because it was much easier to install then recessed lighting, and individual fixtures are decorative and can be easily aimed at a wall. It has regained some popularity recently in low-voltage tracks, which often look nothing like their predecessors because they do not have the safety issues that line-voltage systems have, and are therefore less bulky and more ornamental in themselves. A master transformer feeds all of the fixtures on the track or rod with 12 or 24 volts, instead of each having its own. There are traditional spots and floods, as well as other small hanging fixtures. A modified version of this is cable lighting, where lights are hung from or clipped to bare metal cables under tension.

A sconce is a wall-mounted fixture, particularly one that shines up and sometimes down as well. A torchiere (tour-she-AIR or tour-SHARE) is an uplight intended for ambient lighting. It is typcially a floor lamp but may be wall-mounted like a sconce.

The portable lamp is probably the most common fixture, found in every home and many offices. The standard lamp and shade that sits on a table is general lighting, while the desk lamp is considered task lighting. Magnifier lamps are also task lighting.

The illuminated ceiling was once popular in the 1960s and 1970s but fell out of favor after the 1980s. This uses diffuser panels hung like a suspended ceiling below fluorescent lights, and is considered general lighting. Other forms include neon, which is not usually intended to illuminate anything else, but to actually be an artwork in itself. This would probably fall under accent lighting, though in a dark nightclub it could be considered general lighting. Underwater accent lighting is also used for koi ponds and the like.

In a movie theater each step in the aisles is usually marked with a row of small lights, for convenience and safety when the film has started, hence the other lights are off.

Vehicle lighting

Vehicles typically include headlights and tail lights. Headlights are white or yellow lights placed in the front of the vehicle, designed to illuminate the upcoming road and to make the vehicle more visible. Tail lights are always red and are placed in the rear to quickly alert other drivers about the vehicle's direction of travel. In the image to the right, the top (white portion) of the tail light is the back-up lamp, which when lit, is used to indicate that the vehicle's transmission has been placed in the reverse gear, warning anyone behind the vehicle that it is moving backwards, or about to do so.

In addition to lighting for useful purposes, automobiles increasingly feature ornamental lighting. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, manufacturers would sometimes backlight their logos and or other translucent panelling. In the 1990s, a popular trend was to customize vehicles with neon lighting, especially underneath the body of a car. In the 2000s, neon lighting is increasingly yielding to digital vehicle lighting, in which bright LEDs are placed on the car and operated by a computer which can be customized and programmed to display a range of changing patterns and colors, a technology borrowed from Christmas lights.

Lamps

Main article: Light bulb

Commonly called 'light bulbs', lamps are the removable and replaceable portion of a luminaire which converts electrical energy to both visible and non-visible electromagnetic energy. Common characteristics used to evaluate lamp quality include efficiency measured in lumens per watt, typical lamp life measured in hours, and Color Rendering Index on a scale of 0 to 100. Cost of replacement lamps is also an important factor in any design.

Lighting design

Architect lamps

Lighting design as it applies to the built environment, also known as 'architectural lighting design', is both a science and an art. Comprehensive lighting design requires consideration of the amount of functional light provided, the energy consumed, as well as the aesthetic impact supplied by the lighting system. Some buildings, like surgical centers and sports facilities, are primarily concerned with providing the appropriate amount of light for the associated task. Some buildings, like warehouses and office buildings, are primarily concerned with saving money through the energy efficiency of the lighting system. Other buildings, like casinos and theatres, are primarily concerned with enhancing the appearance and emotional impact of architecture through lighting systems. Therefore, it is important that the sciences of light production and luminaire photometrics are balanced with the artistic application of light as a medium in our built environment. These electrical lighting systems should also consider the impacts of, and ideally be integrated with, daylighting systems. Factors involved in lighting design are essentially the same as those discussed above in energy conservation analysis.

Mathematical Modeling is normally used for complex lighting design, whereas, for simple configurations, tables and simple hand calculations can be used. Based on the positions and mounting heights of the fixtures, and their photometric characteristics, the proposed lighting layout can be checked for uniformity and quantity of illumination. For larger projects or those with irregular floor plans, lighting design software can be used. Each fixture has its location entered, and the reflectance of walls, ceiling, and floors can be entered. The computer program will then produce a set of contour charts overlaid on the project floor plan, showing the light level to be expected at the working height. More advanced programs can include the effect of light from windows or skylights, allowing further optimization of the operating cost of the lighting installation.

The Zonal Cavity Method is used as a basis for both hand, tabulated, and computer calculations. This method uses the reflectance coefficients of room surfaces to model the contribution to useful illumination at the working level of the room due to light reflected from the walls and the ceiling. Simplified photometric values are usually given by fixture manufacturers for use in this method.

Computer modelling of outdoor flood lighting usually proceeds directly from photometric data. The total lighting power of a lamp is divided into small solid angular regions. Each region is extended to the surface which is to be lit and the area calculated, giving the light power per unit of area. Where multiple lamps are used to illuminate the same area, each one's contribution is summed. Again the tabulated light levels (in lux or foot-candles) can be presented as contour lines of constant lighting value, overlaid on the project plan drawing. Hand calculations might only be required at a few points, but computer calculations allow a better estimate of the uniformity and lighting level.

Practical lighting design must take into account the gradual decrease in light levels from each lamp owing to lamp aging, lamp burnout, and dirt accumulation on fixture and lamp surfaces. Empirically-established depreciation factors are listed in lighting design handbooks.

Energy consumption

Artificial lighting consumes a significant part of all energy consumed worldwide. In homes and offices from 20 to 50 percent of total energy consumed is due to lighting. Most importantly, for some buildings over 90 percent of lighting energy consumed can be an unnecessary expense through over-illumination (Hawken, 2000). Thus lighting represents a critical component of energy use today, especially in large office buildings where there are many alternatives for energy utilization in lighting. There are several strategies available to minimize energy requirements in any building:

Specification of illumination requirements for each given use area.
analysis of lighting quality to insure that adverse components of lighting (for example, glare or incorrect color spectrum) are not biassing the design.
Integration of space planning and interior architecture (including choice of interior surfaces and room geometries) to lighting design.
Design of time of day use that does not expend unnecessary energy.
Selection of fixture and lamp types that reflect best available technology for energy conservation.
Training of building occupants to utilize lighting equipment in most efficient manner.
Maintenance of lighting systems to minimize energy wastage.

Health effects of lighting

It is valuable to provide the correct light intensity and color spectrum for each task or environment. Otherwise, energy not only could be wasted but over-illumination can lead to adverse health and psychological effects.

Specification of illumination requirements is the basic concept of deciding how much illumination is required for a given task. Clearly, much less light is required to illuminate a hallway or bathroom compared to that needed for a word processing work station. Prior to 1970 (and too often even today), a lighting engineer would simply apply the same level of illumination design to all parts of the building without considering usage. Generally speaking, the energy expended is proportional to the design illumination level. For example, a lighting level of 80 footcandles might be chosen for a work environment involving meeting rooms and conferences, whereas a level of 40 footcandles could be selected for building hallways. If the hallway standard simply emulates the conference room needs, then twice the amount of energy will be consumed as is needed for hallways. Unfortunately, most of the lighting standards even today have been speciifed by industrial groups who manufacture and sell lighting, so that a historical commercial bias exists in designing most building lighting, especially for office and industrial settings. Beyond the energy factors being considered, it is important not to overdesign illumination, lest adverse health effects such as headache frequency, stress, and increased blood pressure be induced by the higher lighting levels. In addition, glare or excess light can decrease worker efficiency (DiLouie, 2006).

Analysis of lighting quality paricularly emphasizes use of natural lighting, but also considers spectral content if artificial light is to be used. Not only will greater reliance on natural light reduce energy consumption, but will favorably impact human health and performance. For example, it is clear that student test scores are improved for children who learn in the presence of greater natural light (Bain, 1997).

Professional organizations

The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), in conjunction with organizations like ANSI and ASHRAE, publishes guidelines, standards, and handbooks that allow categorization of the illumination needs of different built environments. Manufacturers of lighting equipment publish photometric data for their products, which defines the distribution of light released by a specific luminaire. This data is typically expressed in standardized form defined by the IESNA.

The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) is an organization which focuses on the advancement of lighting design education and the recognition of independent professional lighting designers. Those fully independent designers who meet the requirements for professional membership in the association typically append the abbreviation IALD to their name.

The National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP) offers the Lighting Certification Examination which tests rudimentary lighting design principles. Individuals who pass this exam become ‘Lighting Certified’ and may append the abbreviation LC to their name. This certification process is the only national examination in the lighting industry and is open not only to designers, but to lighting equipment manufacturers, electric utility employees, etc. Generally speaking there is no legal or practical requirement for the lighting design team to possess the certifications discussed; in fact, some of the best lighting designs have been produced by architects or physicists who are unfettered by historical conventions rooted in the 1950s as are many ways of thinking of IESNA and IALD.

Bibliography

Bain, A., “The Hindenburg Disaster: A Compelling Theory of Probable Cause and Effect,” Procs. NatL Hydr. Assn. 8th Ann. Hydrogen Meeting, Alexandria, Va., March 11-13, pp 125-128 (1997}

Craig DiLouie, Advanced Lighting Controls: Energy Savings, Productivity, Technology and Applications The Fairmont Press, Inc., (2006) ISBN 0881735108

Jack L. Lindsey, Applied Illumination Engineering, The Fairmont Press Inc., Lilburn, Georgia (1991) ISBN 0-88173-060-2

John L Fetters, The Handbook of Lighting Surveys & Audits, CRC Press, (1997) ISBN 0849399726

Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism, Back Bay Press, Time Warner Book Group (2000) ISBN 0316353000

External links

Lighting Efficiency Resources - energy efficiency through better lighting
Lighting Guide - Home Lighting Guide
Lighting Design Glossary - architectural lighting and simulation, cross-reference to German language website.
Saving Energy - Six tips on saving energy with your lights.
Lightingwiki.com - "forum for lighting designers, researchers, contractors, and anyone interested in illumination related topics, both architectural and entertainment environments."
Characteristics of light
Home & Garden Lighting Advice - Some great practical advice on lighting your home. Each room is covered in detail with advice aimed at the average home improvement enthusiast. Also explains energy efficiency and the importance thatit has in the coming years.
Lighting Advice - Lamps - Lighting your home is important, it can make or break a room - but which lamps types / wattages are sufficient? This informative page covers each type of lamp / bulb, detailing the best uses for each.
The British Library - finding information on the lighting industry

Sources of light / lighting:
Natural/prehistoric light sources:	Bioluminescence \| Celestial objects \| Lightning
Combustion-based light sources:	Acetylene/Carbide lamps \| Candles \| Davy lamps \| Fire \| Gas lighting \| Kerosene lamps \| Lanterns \| Limelights \| Oil lamps \| Rushlights
Nuclear/direct chemical light sources:	Betalights/Trasers \| Chemoluminescence (Lightsticks)
Electric light sources:	Arc lamps \| Incandescent light bulbs \| Fluorescent lamps
High-intensity discharge light sources:	Ceramic Discharge Metal Halide lamps \| HMI lamps \| Mercury-vapor lamps \| Metal halide lamps \| Sodium vapor lamps \| Xenon arc lamps
Other electric light sources:	Electroluminescent (EL) lamps \| Globar \| Inductive lighting \| Discrete LEDs/Solid State Lighting (LEDs) \| Neon and argon lamps \| Nernst lamp \| Sulfur lamp \| Xenon flash lamps \| Yablochkov candles

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