The proof of the pudding…
The average home uses up to twice as much energy as promised on paper, with the gap rising to as much as four times for educational and research buildings, despite all the simulations and modelling that goes into the specifications – Review of the building energy performance gap from simulation and building lifecycle perspectives: Magnitude, causes and solutions.
While it’s relatively easy to put a number on the environmental performance gap, the shortfall in human performance is harder to measure. Most of the ‘circadian’ systems I’ve tested fail to deliver the light the occupants need to feel awake during the day and are far too bright at night to let them sleep – often by orders of magnitude. The staff have never been asked what would work for them let alone shown how the new system works or simple things they could do to actively support the residents body clocks (and their own). Clients feel ripped off or let down and tell their peers to steer clear – no wonder manufacturers complain the demand just isn’t there.
But proving whether something has worked is hard to do – clients are usually exhausted and broke by the time they’ve wrangled the worst of the snagging list and just want to move on. Contractors and suppliers aren’t about to put their hands in their pockets for post-handover verification in case they find themselves in the firing line –
So for all its flaws and anomalies – and there are so many – I’ve renewed WELL AP certification and proud to serve on the Light Advisory team. It’s the only mainstream certification scheme out there that demands accountability once the space is up and running.
We’ve been spending hours on how to measure uniformity – should it be a standard grid or specific points relating to desk positions – or something else entirely. I know that’s splitting hairs but at least the question is being asked.
In my book, the only way we’ll shift the conversation from cost to value is when we have the confidence and humility to go back and check whether what we’ve specified really delivers.
I’m currently writing a practical guide to circadian lighting for residential healthcare and social care providers and looking for case studies to feature. So if you know of any examples, please do get in touch.
Celebrating a man’s best friend on International Dog Day
I don’t have a dog myself, but I am surrounded by people who are passionate about theirs – a much loved member of the family – National Dog Survey 2024: 99% of owners say dogs are family.
I see them out walking and chatting at crack of dawn every day, so not surprised to read that spending time with a dog is good for physical and mental health, if only because you’re more likely to stick to a routine, get outside for a walk in the morning, take regular breaks and feel a sense of purpose- they’re always glad to see you after all – Dogs Supporting Human Health and Well-Being: A Biopsychosocial Approach. A dog may even be able to tell if you’re sick before the doctor does – Canine olfactory detection and its relevance to medical detection.
You don’t have to go out for a walk to get some of those benefits – just stopping to pet a passing pooch triggers the release of feel good hormones including oxytocin that seems to benefit the pet as much as you – Feeling “Pawsitively” Good: Human–Pet Touch Predicts Subjective Wellbeing, The biology of loving our pets.
For those who can’t or don’t want a four-legged friend full-time, a number of charities like Dogs For Good creates opportunities to get all those benefits without the costs or constraints . The Cinnamon Trust can step in to support people who can’t take care of their companions for a short while.
So happy international dog day and a warm wag to all those canine companion who make the world a brighter place.
Circadian lighting for senior living – green shoots for grey days
As the days get noticeably shorter, I was intrigued to come across this small project from a team in Minnesota on the North-West coast of the USA. They installed some very simple retrofit solutions to boost light levels in the living/dining area during the day and found promising results for sleep, mood and memory.
It’s similar to a study in Jordan that I had dismissed as too simplistic. But the approach and results are so similar, perhaps it’s worth a second look – Pilot study of dynamic lighting and sleep consolidation among older adults in a Jordanian senior care facility.
The team in Minnesota replaced the standard lightbulbs in the ceiling fitting with Philips Hue lightbulbs, adding a couple more (from three to five lightbulbs) to boost brightness in the morning for the ‘circadian’ option, and put a basic garage light on top of the kitchen cabinets to boost brightness without too much glare for an ‘enhanced circadian’ that delivered slightly higher EML in the middle of the day – an extra 50 EML over the kitchen counter at midday for example. Two groups in a cross-over trial, June to October (summer) and January to May (’winter’). The researchers tried gathering personal light exposure profiles from wearable meters but struggled to get clean data so they used static meters to measure levels, simple iPad questionnaires and mattress sensors to check subjective and objective shifts.
It’s a tiny study – seven people in each group and there are some notable gaps in the methodology – no questions about subjective comfort, preference or personal control, or information about light quality beyond the EML. Some results are bit confusing too – sleep quality seems to go down in the ‘basic’ circadian compared to static/baseline and the enhanced circadian solution – Effects of enhanced circadian lighting on well-being among older adults: Pilot data from a 16-week placebo-controlled trial.
But for all the limitations and tiny sample sizes, as the leaves start to turn, I for one am excited to see these promising signs that lighting to support sleep in regular homes doesn’t have to cost the earth.