Let there be light – but not too much of it, please.
Researchers in Singapore are trying out a new way to keep offices lit that uses only half as much energy.
This is done by letting office workers customise the light that falls on their desks.
In most offices, each cubicle is lit by an individual ceiling bulb that can only be switched on or off.
In the researchers’ project, workers can specify the level of brightness they want with a remote control.
This is done through a smart LED lighting grid combined with motion and light sensors at each desk.
The system will even take into account ambient light such as daylight and glare from the neighbours’ bulbs when adjusting the brightness overhead.
‘No more being blinded by the reflection off the computer screen,’ said Dr Tan Yen Kheng, a research fellow who leads the team from the Energy Research Institute at Nanyang Technological University.
Because LED bulbs react much faster than their fluorescent equivalents, the system can also light the way when workers move around in the office at night – and then switch off once the person has passed by. Motion sensors prompt the system to switch off cubicle lights at vacated desks.
The team has conducted a small trial involving two offices at the institute over the past year. The result was a 45 per cent reduction in electricity use.
This led to a deal last week between Nanyang Technological University, industrial landlord JTC Corporation and Royal Philips Electronics. All three will test the system next year, possibly in the CleanTech Park.
Dr Tan acknowledged that companies may not want to install the technology because LED bulbs cost up to $30 each while the more common fluorescent variety can be bought for only a few dollars.
But Dr Tan said LED bulbs last up to 10 times longer than fluorescent ones, helping businesses save on utility bills in the long run.
A demonstration of the system at the institute last week showed there were only a few kinks to be worked out.
