Researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory evaluated the potential energy impacts of circadian lighting designs. Specifically, this research from August 2020 investigated the potential energy impacts of circadian lighting design recommendations that are gaining attention in a variety of common applications such as offices and classrooms. Within the two applications considered, parameters like surface reflectance distribution and desk orientation were also evaluated to explore the magnitude of potential effects. Using results from 45 unique simulation conditions, the analysis estimates that energy use may increase between 10% and 100% because of increased luminaire light levels used to meet circadian lighting design recommendations listed in current building standards (WELL v2 Q2 2019, UL Design Guideline 24480, and CHPS Core Criteria 3.0.)
Key words: distance learning/training, employee productivity, energy management, large building controls/automation, protocols/standards, research & development