Energy optimization with adaptive light in primary schools

Can better lighting be created through user involvement and achieve significant energy savings at the same time? Can energy optimization be achieved by engaging students and teachers in experiments with LED lighting? How can a focus on climate and social sustainability support a forward-looking pedagogical learning environment? The project has explored these questions in practice.

The project has installed adaptive lighting in classrooms at Tilsted and Hanstholm primary schools. Through an 18-month co-creation process, the rooms are designed and re-designed with adjustable LED light sources, dense sensor networks, and adaptive control systems. Across seasons, curricula and social situations, the lighting installations are tested, with detailed assessments of energy consumption, building economics and the quality of the lighting environments experienced from the user perspective.

The research is carried out in close collaboration between designers, architects, building operators, manufacturers and - not least: end-users. By involving teachers and students, we can qualify the operation of light. By participating in their daily lives with learning activities, informing through workshops and giving them a voice in design development, they themselves are able to express when lighting is supportive in their daily lives - and why.

Primary schools are the setting for children's everyday lives for most of the active day. It is also a workplace, a learning environment and a social community with many and varied activities. Each activity has its requirements for the lighting environment and each person has his or her needs for the quality of the environment. For most of the day, daylight is an important source of light and essential for well-being and health.

The hypothesis is that energy consumption for artificial lighting can be reduced by increased adaptation to the needs of the specific users and their varied use of premises and common areas. That energy can be saved by designing adaptive lighting which, through user-controlled dynamic adjustment, produces the appropriate light in the right place at the right time, thereby best promoting learning and well-being in the daily practice of primary schools.

RESEARCH RESULTS

ENERGY OPTIMISATION WITH ADAPTIVE LIGHT - POTENTIALS IN SCHOOL DESIGN, OPERATION AND RENOVATION

Through the ongoing development of lighting technologies, electricity savings of up to 30% can be achieved in the next 5-10 years. The crucial adaptation to the current 70% climate targets requires a change in user behaviour and flexibility in electricity consumption. To achieve the missing 40-50% savings, end-users should thus be engaged in daily operations.

The project shows that energy-optimising behaviour in schools is achieved when students and teachers, through participation, develop skills and responsibility for the daily setting of lighting environments. It shows that artificial lighting is used more energy efficiently when lighting environments are created that are based on the educational activities in schools and thereby, with well-being in focus, support today's learning methods. It can thus be said that adaptive lighting coordinates user engagement with energy optimisation and that sustainable solutions are anchored through competent users.

The project shows that there is energy optimisation potential in a holistic approach, where the following focus can lead to savings in electricity consumption:

Adaptive lighting coordinates user engagement with energy optimisation

1. adaptive lighting engages end users - students, teachers, and operational staff - in energy optimising behaviour

2. adaptive lighting can develop new flexible solutions by coordinating between the dynamics of: daylighting, user needs, user management and dynamic artificial lighting

3. adaptive lighting supports the learning environment, as a service to the didactic methods, with flexible lighting environments

Sustainable solutions are anchored through competent users

4. sustainable solutions rely on end users being empowered to navigate energy optimisation, - and are strengthened by anchoring in both user engagement and building management

5. access to information on building operations and indoor climate is essential for training end-users to competently manage their daily lighting environment and develop energy optimising behaviours

6. energy optimisation can be accelerated with an engaged user culture, supported by intelligent building management, if the focus is maintained on achieving optimal solutions for end-users

More daylight influx reduces energy consumption for artificial lighting

7. architectural improvements that provide more daylight in the building lead to more varied use of the premises and reduce energy consumption for artificial lighting

8. varied artificial lighting settings - and varied light distribution between indirect and direct lighting - create better adapted lighting environments

9. increased daylight quality and daylight spectrum of artificial lighting reduces the use of artificial lighting

Adaptive lighting optimises the sustainability of electricity consumption for artificial lighting

10. implementation of more sustainable energy use for artificial lighting can be scaled widely and quickly

11. energy optimisation is increased with more clearly formulated user requirements for renovation and new buildings

12. technological developments in the coming years will contribute significantly to the optimisation of electricity consumption for artificial lighting, and therefore demands light installations that can be regularly updated to support sustainable development.