The inventor of the first commercial light bulb, Thomas Jefferson used to say that, “Knowledge is power”. (Source) Studies have shown that there is a link between people’s learning ability, academic performance and their learning environment. Most learning facilities might not have the funds to invest in widespread learning tools like tablets and web applications. They can however invest in improved lighting that will project high-quality lighting that will increase the attentiveness of students in the classroom.      

In an abstract from OSA Publishing, the study found that students that were exposed to high-quality lighting in their learning environment performed better than those students who weren’t exposed. Dr Hyeon Jeong Suk reached a similar conclusion in a separate test in South Korea. The professor told the Huffington Post in a recent article that:

“Besides improving human performance, variable lighting CCTs also exert a great influence on both the physical and mental conditions of humans,” Suk said. “However, such benefits of lighting have not yet been fully adopted in the educational environment. At the beginning of our research, we were shocked by the fact that the lighting facilities in educational environments were much poorer than we’d anticipated.” (Source)

With the support of these studies, Savewise would like to see more educational facilities upgrade their lighting across Australia. The New South Wales and Victorian governments have incentive programs in place for educational facilities to upgrade from inefficient lighting to an improved LED lighting solution that consists of commercial LED tube lights or commercial highbay lights for other learning areas.

Can educational facilities expect any other benefits?

Yes. There are several benefits actually. Apart from the improved lighting quality that students will be exposed to, the lighting consumption cost should be reduced. The operating cost of these LED lights are 80% less than incandescent bulbs and also last for several years, thus reducing the facility’s need to invest in maintenance over the long-term. Although the initial setup cost is more than setting up traditional incandescent lighting, the cost savings over time are so big that it can minimise the educational facility’s overhead costs by 50%.

Additionally, this lighting solution is an easy way to make the educational facility more environmentally friendly by drawing less power from the electrical grid of the local energy provider (should the energy provider generate electricity from fossil fuels such as oil, gas or coal).

If you operate an educational facility, what should you do next?

Look around your educational facility to see what type of lights are being used and also identify any areas where lighting design can be improved. You should also get in touch with the team from Savewise.com.au to see if there’s any way they can help you secure subsidies or discounts for your lighting upgrade.