Good lighting… for buildings, for the environment, for your pets, and for your pocket, too!

Not perfect, but a good place to start…

The WELL standard is far from perfect – etymonline (https://www.etymonline.com/word/well) gives the first meaning as “in a satisfactory manner,” As a member of the WELL Home Advisory team, I know how much passion – and painful compromise – goes into every line. Anyone who has ever been involved in writing a guideline- even what to wear at the Christmas party- will know that too. So I’m proud and delighted to have passed my WELL AP exam. I am acutely aware that the standard is a flawed but ‘satisfactory’ baseline and that the real gold lies in embracing the spirit, not the letter of the law.

45% Free…

As energy prices along with awareness of the need to drive towards net zero, simply changing the surface reflectance of surfaces in the room can improve energy efficiency and visual comfort by 45%. Effects of surface reflectance and lighting design strategies on energy consumption and visual comfort. This paper goes into more technical detail with detailed analysis of the relative contribution of different surfaces in the room – Quantifying the effects of interior surface reflectance on indoor lighting

Do dogs get SAD?

Yes! – according to these studies – Seasonal Affective Disorder in dogs & Vet Q&A: Does the change in seasons affect pets? the basic solutions solutions for dogs work for people too – bright light in the morning, plenty of exercise outside and plenty of interaction and finding ways to keep active inside – playing with a game or a toy, especially important for puppies who get bored and start to act up. Time to get back to some of those lock-down videos?