Editor's Corner
Editor's Corner
In this issue our two guest authors present a very interesting result obtained in the Canadian Lighting Quality Research Project. In an experimental situation, the research team has managed to identify links between efficient lighting, good quality lighting, and office worker productivity. Much work remains to be done, but it is no exaggeration to say that their results strengthen the case for efficient lighting. However, it is more complicated than so: Efficient lighting will not automatically lead to productivity benefits. A skilled designer is needed, and there is still little consensus as to what a good installation is. The research in Canada has even more far-reaching implications: If a lighting installation is efficient, but poorly designed, the potential losses in human productivity may far outpace the gains achieved in terms of saved energy costs! This was the theme of a paper presented at the ACEEE Summer Study in the US in August 1998. The authors (Harris, Heschong, Heerwagen, and Jones) took the Canadian results and applied them to the US federal office sector. They estimated the potential budgetary impacts to be between $220 million and $1.3 billion per year! Talking of commercial lighting, the article about the US FEMP program tells the story of governments as leaders: an example worth following. Finally, I would like to welcome the US Lighting Research Center on board as a partner in IAEEL.
Nils Borg
Tel: +46 8 673 11 31
Fax: +46 8 673 04 44
E-mail: nils@borgco.se
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