Lower operating costs. Improve concentration, mood and performance.
Quality classroom lighting provides uniform illumination with balanced brightness, minimal glare, and controlled daylight. With today's energy-efficient lighting technologies and proper lighting design, you can achieve these optimal conditions at a lower cost. Schools can reduce energy use by as much as 30% with energy-efficient approaches.
A high-quality energy-efficient school lighting system includes:
Classrooms, common areas, bathrooms: Occupancy sensors to keep lights on when needed.
Classrooms: Multi-level switching to improve light level flexibility.
Chalkboards and display areas: Wall-wash fixtures.
Exterior: Photocells and/or timers. Pulse-start high intensity discharge (HID) exterior lights.
Gym/Multipurpose room: Pulse start HID with hi-low switching, or T5 dimming lights.
All areas:
- Compact fluorescent lamps, instead of incandescent lamps.
- Fluorescent lamps with color rendering indices (CRIs) of at least 80.
- T-8 direct/indirect or parabolic fluorescent lighting with electronic ballasts.
- Windows or skylights for daylight, with ways to control excessive light and/or glare. A recent study of 21,000 students in three states determined that students in rooms with the most diffuse and glare-free daylight performed as much as 26% better on standardized tests. Read more about daylighting.
- Fixtures aligned parallel to windows.
- Light emitting diode (LED) or self-illuminescent exit signs.
Download the Energy-Efficient Classroom Lighting Guide (pdf 889kb)
