UL Forms Task Group to Develop Circadian Lighting Recommended Practice
May 7, 2018
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) has launched an initiative to develop a recommended practice for the specification, measurement, and application of lighting to support circadian entrainment of individuals in daytime work environments, according to a press release from the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The task group, chaired by Mark S. Rea, Professor of Architecture and Cognitive Sciences at the LRC, will produce a set of practical recommendations and methods, grounded in science, that can be broadly implemented by addressing how to specify lighting for daytime applications, how to accurately measure circadian light, and how specification can be achieved, not only through the use of ceiling fixtures, but also by windows, skylights, luminous panels, and plug-in lighting.
“Our goal is to investigate all aspects of the recommendations to ensure that the science is correct, to confirm that the methods of implementation can be accurately yet broadly applied, and to inspire a positive change in lighting practice,” said Dr. Rea. “Lighting isn’t just for vision anymore. It’s high time we had a valid, agreed-upon metric and some basic guidelines so that healthy lighting can be effectively delivered to benefit society.”
The task group will seek input from design professionals, manufacturers, facility owners, and scientists, review proposals being considered, vote on the technical merits of each recommendation, and draft the recommended practice. The target date for publication of the recommended practice is May 2019.
Craig DiLouie, LC, is Education Director for the Lighting Controls Association. Reprinted with permission of the Lighting Controls Association, www.lightingcontrolsassociation.org.
