Knowledge Base

Home Energy Management
What kind of saving do I get if I change incandescent to fluorescent lighting?
Full Spectrum Lighting
Why use full spectrum lighting?
LIGHT: an element in the ergonomics of learning

 

 

Home Energy Management
Good energy management can help you save money. There are many ways of making your home more comfortable and energy efficient. One of the first steps to be taken is to have an in-home evaluation by a professional to maximize your energy savings.
Here are some tips for you to follow for a more energy efficient home:

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What kind of saving do I get if I change incandescent to fluorescent lighting?

A 100-Watt incandescent light bulb has a life span of 5-6 months if it is used about 6 hours a day. The price of one bulb is about $.50 and the electric rate average is $.10 per kiloWatt.

The energy cost per year is about $.10 per kilowatt per hour. The energy cost in a year for that incandescent bulb is $21.90 and during 4 1/2 years is has to be replaced about 10 times. Now, taking all this into consideration, in a period of 4 1/2 years you are spending about $103.50 for the bulb, replacements and energy consumption.

A 27 Watt fluorescent light bulb produces about 1800 lumens of light which is more than the 1750 lumens from a 100 Watt incandescent light bulb. The life time is 4 1/2 years or longer and the annual energy cost is about $5.91 if it is used 6 hours a day. With all this information, the total cost in 4 1/2 years using a fluorescent light bulb is less than $41, giving you a savings of $63.
Take a look at the flourescent light bulbs at Hutt Electric Supply!

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What is the definition of "Full Spectrum Light"?

Simulated full spectrum light is color-corrected light that operates in the range of 400 to 800 nanometers. This light will simulate the optical brilliance of outdoor light at noontime. This light can be measured by two numbers, CRI (Color Rendering Index) and Kelvin Temperature or (Degrees Kelvin). The secret to true color light and optically balanced light is how close you can get to the optics of natural light. The Sun at noon has a natural color rendering of 100 CRI and between 5000 and 5500 degrees Kelvin at noon time. Both CRI and Kelvin are important for the simulation sunlight. When you simulate light that matches the optical brilliance of sunlight, the pupils in the eyes will become smaller. This response generates clearer vision and higher perception. The results are lower glare and eye fatigue. When you can combine Lux intensity with high CRI and balanced Kelvin temperature, you will have quality light that not only matches the optical brilliance of the sun, but reduces levels of melatonin and the stress hormone, cortisol. This light is not "daylight" color. It is clear, brilliant, white light and simulates the exact color of sunlight at noon. We may ask; what is the one thing in our life that is missing? We spend so much time indoors, not only in the winter when the days are shorter, but when we work all the time. Sunlight is what we are missing and light that simulates those brilliant life giving wave lengths will be much more effective in treating seasonal depression than any other source or color of light. What separates lamps are color temperature ratings. Maintaining an average CRI of 90 and a Kelvin temperature of 5000 Kelvin are key. NOTES ABOUT UV:

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Why Use Full Spectrum Lighting?
No life can exist without the presence of natural sunshine. Each spring we feel the joy and energy that longer sun filled days bring. All of nature wakes up to the added benefit of more and more natural light. When daylight enters our eyes, it reaches the pineal gland (also known as the seat of the soul or the third eye) and activates our Endocrine system which is connected to our immune and nervous systems. The pineal gland reduces the production of the light sensitive hormone, melatonin from 100% in the night to 10% during the day. The balance of melatonin has been proven to be a crucial element in many health related studies and has been linked to estrogen production, and many cancer related diseases. Stimulating proper production of melatonin from the pineal glad is paramount to good health. The question is how do you do this? The answer to that has been addressed by many photo biologists as of late. "They state that exposure to Full-Spectrum light has an important influence on the endocrine system and can reduce the risks of many diseases, including cancer. These studies have shown that the retina can, when stimulated by the proper wave lengths of light, synthesize melatonin directly to the pineal gland. Malillumination can prohibit proper secretion of melatonin. So light of a proper type and intensity can be considered a nutrient. At the beginning of the 20th century over 70% of North Americans worked outdoors thus benefiting from exposure to essential natural outdoor light. The result of this change has been severe in many cases due to spending more and more time under the type of lights which are missing that portion of the sun’s spectrum which is important in triggering proper melatonin secretion. It is estimated that over 38 million North Americans feel the effects of malillumination causing poor work conditions which can result in less energy and productiveness. There is convincing research that poor lighting environments can produce increased depression and even result in more severe cases called S.A.D. or "Seasonal Affective Disorder." This problem increases more and more as the winter months bring shorter and shorter days. "Sunlight Starvation" also affects millions more in the form of a milder version called the "Winter Blues". Since 1978 researchers and scientists world wide have documented the successful use of bright light therapy as a significant antidepressant. According to the Dec 8th, 1993 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, for many patients with S.A.D., light therapy should be regarded as first-line treatment. Light therapy is endorsed by the American Psychiatric Assoc. and the National Institute of Mental Health. Your insurance carrier may reimburse the cost of this purchase if prescribed by your therapist.

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LIGHT: an element in the ergonomics of learning

Malillumination vs. Posillumination “Malillumination” is to “light” as “malnutrition” is to “food”. By Laurence D. Martel, Ph.D. President National Academy of Integrative Learning, Inc. Hilton Head Island, S. C. www.intellearn.org
There is a wealth of research indicating that the ergonomics of an environment significantly improve or retard individual and group learning performance. These elements include light, sound enhancement, color, room design, temperature, and instructional design and energy distribution. What follows is a discussion on the element of “light” as a contributor to the enhancement of learning performance and achievement. (I draw heavily from the brilliant and sensitive work of Dr. Jacob Liberman and encourage you to read his book Light: Medicine of the Future (Bear and Co. 1991), for an in-depth discussion and analysis of the research referenced in the following overview.) “Malillumination” is the term coined by pioneer light researcher, Dr. John Ott, to describe sunlight deficiency and the negative, harmful effects of artificial pink or cool-white fluorescent lighting on behavior, learning, health, hardiness and longevity. On the other hand, “Posillumination” is the term I have chosen to refer to those simulated sunlight environments, about which an overwhelming body of research shows the positive impact of simulated sunlight (full spectrum lighting and color) on human behavior, learning, health, hardiness and longer life. Schools, classrooms and other work environments where people spend time learning and working under simulated sunlight (full spectrum lighting and color) experience less stress and anxiety, improved behavior and attitudes, improved health and attendance, and increased performance and academic achievement. Research in the use of light in schools has shown that cool-white fluorescent bulbs, (which are used in virtually all classrooms) cause: bodily stress, anxiety, hyper-activity, attention problems and other distress leading to poor learning performance. Titoff, 1999, concluded in his research that “There was a statistically significant difference between the students who worked under old-style fluorescent lights and those who worked under full-spectrum, visually-efficient lighting.” This controlled study verified that depression was lowered among those students who experienced learning under full-spectrum lighting. Also, depression actually increased under standard fluorescent lights among the fourth graders. As an elementary school principal, William Titoff conducted research for his Ph.D. dissertation and discovered that when the project was completed, “the teachers with the full-spectrum lighting refused to let me take it out and put back the old-style fluorescent bulbs.” Harmon, l938, found that over 4000 children developed observable deficiencies associated with Malillumination. In the late 1940's conditions of the learning environment (lighting, seating and decor) were instituted in schools, resulting in the following student improvements: 65% reduction in visual difficulties, 47.8% decline in nutritional problems, 43.3% reduction in chronic infections, 25.6% reduction in postural problems and, finally, 55.6% decline in chronic fatigue. Ott, 1960, first discovered that mice lived an average of seven to eight months under pink and daylight-white fluorescent lights; whereas those mice living under natural, unfiltered daylight lived twice as long and were hardier. In 1973, Ott studied four, first grade classes in Florida. Two classrooms were installed with full-spectrum, radiation-shielded fluorescent light fixtures, while the other two classrooms remained with the traditional cool-white fluorescent bulbs. In reporting the results of this study, Dr. Liberman stated that: “Concealed time-lapsed cameras took random sequences of students and teachers in the {four}classrooms. Although teachers were aware of the {research} program, neither they nor the students were aware of when they were being photographed. With cool-white fluorescent lighting, some students demonstrated hyperactivity, fatigue, irritability, and attention deficits. In the classrooms with full-spectrum lighting, however, behavior and classroom performance, as well as overall academic achievement, improved markedly within one month after the new lights were installed. Furthermore, several learning-disabled children with extreme hyperactivity problems miraculously calmed down and seemed to overcome some of their learning and reading problems while in classrooms with full-spectrum lighting. This study additionally demonstrated that children in rooms with full-spectrum lighting developed one-third of the number of cavities in their teeth as children in the classrooms with the standard cool-white fluorescent lights.” (Liberman, 1991) Hollwich, 1980, discovered that cool-white fluorescent lighting produced increased levels of stress producing hormones. Wohlfarth and Sam, 1981, studied, according to Liberman, “the combined impact of selected colors and full-spectrum lighting on the behavior and physiology of both blind children with severe behavioral disorders and sighted children with severe handicaps.” Under full-spectrum lighting, blood pressure dropped significantly and aggressive behavior reduced significantly. However, when the lights were replaced with standard cool-white fluorescent bulbs, blood pressure increased and aggressive and disorderly conduct increased. And, the blind children were equally as affected as those with sight. Liberman honestly laments that “For years we have been labeling and re-labeling children who appear to have difficulties we do not understand. We test and tutor them continually, only to find out that they are usually very bright but that for some reason outside of our understanding they do not achieve in the expected manner within the traditional learning environment. Although the labels for these children have changed from dumb, stupid and lazy to dyslexic, minimally brain dysfunctioned, and learning disabled, the labels nonetheless scar them for life....” How many must suffer before we realize that stupidity is a learned behavior; that the giftedness in each individual can be tapped and developed under optimal learning ergonomics, including the strategic use of “Posillumination” and the elimination of “Malillumination”? Schools and classrooms, along with corporations and community organizations, across the country and abroad have gained award winning significant increases in student learning achievement as measured by a variety of standards. This has resulted because of an effective change in the ergonomics of learning, including changes in the elements of light, sound enhancement, room design, temperature, color, instructional design and energy distribution.
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