FM newsroom – lighting, sustainability, facility operation. Proper lighting is crucial for companies regardless of the season, both for cost efficiency and environmental sustainability. According to János Nagy, Senior Energy Expert at B+N Referencia Zrt., smart lighting systems that adapt to our biorhythm can help prevent workplace accidents and reduce a company’s energy consumption.
Throughout the day, the colour temperature of natural light changes: it is warmer in the morning, cooler around noon, and warmer again in the evening. The human body’s adaptation to natural light influences our biological rhythm, especially the circadian rhythm, which aligns with these changes in light conditions.
Beyond Brightness: Why Lighting Design Needs to Be Smart
The circadian rhythm is the body’s “biological clock,“ which regulates many bodily functions over a 24-hour cycle, including sleep, wakefulness, hormone production, and metabolism. It affects -among other things – sleep quality, concentration, energy levels, and mood.
“Nowadays, there are widely available lighting control systems that follow the human biorhythm, the circadian rhythm, and adjust the colour temperature and luminous flux of the fixtures accordingly,“ summarised János Nagy in an interview with Portfolio.
These modern systems can optimise not only the colour temperature but also the level of illumination, taking into account the amount of natural light. When natural light decreases, artificial lighting intensity automatically increases, and during sunny periods, the system reduces light output, ensuring optimal illumination and energy efficiency. These systems are also highly compatible with building management systems.
According to the expert, poorly designed lighting reduces comfort and may lead to decreased performance and vision issues, making it essential to comply with workplace lighting standards. In Hungary, regulations define the required lighting level for various work environments, whether it’s an office, industrial facility, or assembly plant.
LED Technology: Less Energy, More Impact
Modernising lighting systems requires more than just replacing light fixtures. If the original lighting provided adequate illumination, simple replacement without proper design might lead to over- or under-lighting. It’s advisable to redesign the lighting for each space accordingly.
LEDs offer significantly better luminous efficacy, reaching over 200 lumens per watt compared to traditional fluorescent tubes, which typically range between 70–100 lumens per watt. Their higher efficiency results in substantial savings in operational costs due to lower energy consumption and longer lifespan. Since LED fixtures emit more light, fewer are needed to illuminate a space, reducing investment costs.
“Take, for example, an office that previously used 20 light fixtures. If we redesign it using LEDs, considering their efficiency and light output, 12 to 16 fixtures may be sufficient for the same illumination level,“ explained János Nagy.
Lighting and ESG: A Bright Opportunity for Sustainable Buildings
Long-term return on investment and operational efficiency depend on continuous monitoring and conscious energy management. Building management systems and the use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) allow for modelling and optimising energy consumption from the design phase and tracking usage during operation, minimising waste.
A well-designed office building takes ESG aspects into account as well, contributing both to employee comfort and sustainability goals.
A key point in this regard is light pollution, which not only wastes energy but also has significant environmental impacts. Common sources include in-ground lights that shine upward, poorly adjusted decorative lighting, and fully glazed office buildings where improperly distributed lighting leaks outside.
Several advanced technologies, such as lens-equipped luminaires, can minimise light pollution, allowing precise light direction to work surfaces while maintaining adequate background lighting. This method can reduce light pollution nearly to zero.
According to János Nagy, a good example is the B+N Referencia Zrt. office building, where the lighting system is designed so that no light escapes the building, while the workspaces receive perfect, standard-compliant illumination, thereby reducing the building’s ecological footprint.
“In the future, competitive companies will need to integrate and continuously develop modern lighting systems,“ Nagy concluded.
Images: B+N Referencia Zrt./Rácz Tamás
