Natural lighting through artificial lights

LUX Solutions d'Éclairage2021September
white room lit by natural light

Summer is now over. The days will become shorter and shorter, and our exposure to sunlight will also gradually decrease. At this time of the year, when our mood is sometimes gloomy, many people try to recreate natural lighting to feel better.

What are the benefits of natural lighting?

The circadian rhythm

The circadian rhythm is often referred to as the internal clock of the human body. It is this biological rhythm that sends signals to your body, notably, to get you to sleep and eat. Your daily exposure to light has a direct impact on the circadian rhythm because it adapts to it. If, for example, you have a night shift or work in a dimly lit area, it is possible that your internal clock becomes unbalanced, which can have a negative influence on your well-being.

The circadian rythm

When winter arrives, do you usually feel that your mood is diminished? This is the case for many people, and the phenomenon is well documented, bearing the name of seasonal depression. This period of the year means that the hours of sunlight during the day are reduced, which in a way disrupts the circadian rhythm. Depressed mood, loss of interest and fatigue are some of the symptoms of seasonal depression.

A light for every moment of the day

Secondly, did you know that the type of light has an important influence on your energy? You have probably been advised not to look at a screen for at least 1 hour before going under the covers. The reason is quite simple, screens expose you to blue light. This type of light gives us energy. Therefore, it is good to be exposed to it during the day, but in the evening, a warm light should be favored to imitate the colors of the sunset. This way we are more in a state of relaxation to go to bed.

the different colours temperature

Imitate natural lighting

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to take full advantage of the sunlight with the advent of cloudy days and the winter season. Also, with the trend of working from home having increased drastically over the past year, you may now find yourself working in an office that does not let in enough sunlight. What can you do to compensate for this lack? It is simple, you must reproduce natural light!

The possibilities of LED lighting

Today, technology has advanced to meet this need. With LED lighting, it is now possible to adapt the color of the light according to the time of the day! For example, some LED strips allow to navigate between cool white and warm white. Combining this technology with an automated lighting control system, would allow to have a lighting very similar to natural light. The cold white would be used in the middle of the day, while the warm white would be used in the evening and morning.

False skylights

Skylight that reminds natural lighting

Then, what better way to imitate natural light than with a false skylight. Indeed, this new type of lighting is now available! These products, working with LED technology, make it possible to admire the bluish color of the sky in the room of your choice. It is even possible to perceive a false sun through the well! Here is an original solution to brighten up your room!

Multiply the sources of light

The light produced by the sun has the capacity to illuminate a given space much more easily than a single artificial light source. The reproduction of this light must absolutely pass by using several sources of lighting. To ensure uniformity of the room, do not hesitate to use wall lamps, luminaries, or spotlights on rails.

Modern appartment with natural lighting

The photometric study at your service

Finally, in order to have a real knowledge of your room’s lighting needs, a photometric study could be in order. It allows you to calculate the necessary lighting in a room and to precisely determine the quantity, the strength, and the location of the lighting sources to be installed. This way you will know exactly how to proceed to reproduce the natural light in your room.

Find out more about this service we offer here.

Natural light has an important influence on the well-being of everyone. Plants as well as human beings. Being able to reproduce it can offer considerable benefits on our mood, our sleep and much more. To achieve this, several options are available to you, contact us to find out which one is right for your project!

Growing flowers in a greenhouse

Producing more with less energy

In recent years, many farmers have opened their doors to LED for their agricultural lighting. Although the commercialization of LED technology is relatively new, it is already considered by many as the alternative of choice to traditional lights. The growing popularity of this type of lighting can be seen among farmers to improve their energy efficiency and production. With the size of farm buildings, the cost of energy consumption for lighting is a significant expense for farmers.

Indeed, the main advantage of LED lighting is of course the energy saving. Although LED lighting products are more expensive, the savings on electricity costs are not negligible. If we compare this kind of lighting with traditional incandescent bulbs, the energy saving with LED lighting is about 70-90%. In addition, another advantage of this type of lighting is the durability of the products. LEDs last on average 15 times longer than traditional light fixtures. Therefore, it is certain that LED lighting costs more, but the longevity of the products and their low energy consumption generally pay back the investment very quickly.

Scientist using purple LED light for growing plants

Control of the photoperiod

Photoperiod is the ratio of day to night duration and is the most important environmental factor in synchronizing physiological changes in animals. In other words, the photoperiod plays a determining role in the reproductive cycle of animals. With the help of LED lighting it is now possible for farmers to reproduce natural light and automate it in their buildings. This way, it is easy to ensure that the animals are exposed to the perfect amount of light and darkness during the day. It is even possible to literally simulate sunrise and sunset!

For example, research has shown that lactating dairy cows exposed to 16 to 18 hours of light (150 to 200 lux) and then 6 to 8 hours of darkness increased their milk production by 8 to 10%. In order to still be able to work in the barn while the cows are sleeping, red LED lighting is sometimes used, as this light is slightly detected by the cows and then allows workers to move around safely, without having to disturb the animals’ sleep.

The importance of agricultural lighting for greenhouse production

Canada is exposed to little natural light throughout the year. Especially in winter, this lack of ambient lighting is affecting greenhouse production. Currently, many greenhouses are lit with high pressure sodium lamps or HPS lamps. This type of lighting is not optimal for greenhouse production, because these lamps consume a lot of energy, make it difficult to control the direction of the lighting and give off a lot of heat, which can damage plants that reach a height close to the lamp’s height. LED lighting would be a good solution for greenhouses, as LEDs give off very little heat, do not consume much energy and offer a lot of flexibility to light all areas. Canadian researchers have even found that certain types of light emitted by LEDs can even promote the health of plants!

agricultural lighting in a greenhouse

Often, with the size of farm buildings, the cost of lighting is a significant expense for farmers, and they would have much to gain with the implementation of better and less expensive LED lighting. This new lighting technology offers many significant benefits to farmers and looks very promising for the future!

If you would like to learn more about how LED lighting can help your farm business, contact us and we will be happy to help!

Lighting pollution of a city

However, the impacts of light pollution on our environment are real. The awareness of this issue is relatively new, so it remains mysterious for many people. In this article, you will learn about light pollution and possible solutions to minimize its impacts.

A brief definition

Light pollution is the projection of artificial light into the sky, making it difficult or impossible to see the stars at night. Did you know that 80% of the world’s population lives under a sky polluted by artificial light? For Europeans and Americans, this percentage even reaches 99%! Furthermore, most human beings will never be able to contemplate the Milky Way or the Zodiacal light. These luminous phenomena which are visible in the night sky, can only be observed in the most isolated areas of the globe, where light pollution is absent or very low.

Light pollution is increasing at a rate of 2.2% per year worldwide and causes all sorts of problems, such as economic, ecological and astronomical.

The impacts of light pollution

Since light pollution is relatively new, we are only beginning to understand its impacts on ecosystems. Notwithstanding this fact, many specialists and researchers have started to sound the alarm to ask governments to put in place measures to limit the damage of light pollution.

A disoriented migration

Fauna is strongly affected by artificial lighting at night. For nocturnal animals for example, predators use the darkness to hunt and prey use it to hide! As a result, the environment of these animals is severely influenced by humans, as their nighttime activity period is now shifting to daytime due to the amount of lighting present.

Illuminated city of Vancouver producing light pollution

Migratory birds are also severely affected by this type of pollution. When night falls, these birds must orient themselves with the light of the moon and the stars. The nighttime light from cities attracts birds to a dangerous environment of illuminated skyscrapers. In Toronto, light pollution is responsible for the death of tens of thousands of birds per year, according to the Fatal Light Awareness Program.

Light pollution also affects the migration cycles of these birds. Indeed, these birds use seasonal indicators to predict their migration and their perception of these indicators is biased by light pollution, so they do not migrate at the right time and miss the right weather conditions for their reproduction.

The economic cost of light pollution

Often, the excessive use and the misuse of lighting cause us to direct light towards the sky for no reason, which makes us waste energy and financial capital. In Quebec, it is estimated that it costs $45 million per year to light the sky. Light pollution has then an important economic weight in Quebec, if we consider that this amount could be reinvested for a better and more environmentally friendly lighting. For the United States, the cost of light pollution is $7 billion per year!

A significant impact on science

Astronomy is a science that is directly affected by light pollution, because the stars are much more difficult to study near large cities where light pollution is strong. This is why astronomical observatories are located relatively far from these cities. Finally, the fact that the stars are less and less present in the night sky near the cities, makes that there are fewer and fewer amateur astronomers. Already in 2003, the British government recognized that there is a link between the lack of interest in astronomy and light pollution.

telescope with the milky way

How is light pollution produced?

Now that we know the impacts of the phenomenon of light pollution, it’s important to know how this is produced. The first cause is the lighting directed towards the sky. In fact, many street lamps and other light sources direct light inefficiently. They should direct the light only to the area in need of light.

Quebec is a major emitter of light pollution in Canada, for two reasons. First, the very low cost of energy means that people and businesses in the province can afford to install more artificial light. Second, there are currently very few government regulations governing artificial lighting in Quebec. Some regulations are in place near astronomical observatories, but it seems that these are very little respected.

Rethinking our lighting

With all these problems that light pollution creates, a question arises: is it possible for governments to ensure safe and useful lighting for the population while limiting light pollution? Yes, it is!

Smart Lighting

First of all, intelligent lighting could prove to be an effective solution in the fight against light pollution. Indeed, programming night lighting with intelligent control systems would ensure that only the amount necessary for the city’s safety and operation would be on during the night. For example, an intelligent street lighting system would ensure that street lights would only be activated when cars are on the portion of the road to be lit, and would remain closed when they are not.

Street lamps that respect the environment

Light up more efficiently

As mentioned earlier, many street lights do not effectively redirect light. Ideally, streetlights should be able to direct light properly so that it is not wasted. In addition to reducing light pollution, these streetlights would limit the intrusive lighting that disturbs those who live near roads. To do this, investing in lighting sources that effectively direct artificial light to the areas to be lit would greatly reduce the amount of light projected toward the stars.

We can help you reduce your ecological footprint!

To function it is sure that the cities cannot do without artificial lighting. It ensures the safety of the population and allows them to remain in activity during the night. With the impacts that this form of pollution plays on the environment, the need for cities to rethink their lighting systems is increasingly considered.

Offering a range of specialized products and services, LUX Lighting Solutions has the expertise for all your smart and environmentally friendly lighting projects. Please contact us to learn more about how you can give back the stars to the night!