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How Signify is Creating Healthier Workspaces with Light

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

The pandemic has placed an unprecedented emphasis on the importance of supporting employees’ physical and mental health. But how do we know if one building has a ‘healthier’ design than another and how does a building’s lighting play a part?

On average, 90% of our time is spent within buildings, of which 36% is spent in the workplace. This makes it crucial for building designs to place both the physical and mental health of occupants as a priority. Research has shown that a workspace in a building designed for the well-being of its occupants can enjoy up to an eight per cent increase in productivity since 90% of business costs are staff-related. Such offices also see 20 per cent fewer workdays missed by employees as they are more emotionally and mentally committed.

As Singapore moves into the post-pandemic era, it has perhaps never been clearer that more needs to be done to holistically enhance building designs for the benefit of the overall well-being of employees and employers. Already, as the country moves to live with COVID-19 as an endemic and more people return to their workplace, there is a growing focus on protecting employees against the virus. The pandemic has also accelerated the urgency for more to be done to safeguard staff mental well-being.

Singapore has been ranked as the unhappiest workforce in the world according to the 2021 global report, “Impact of COVID-19 on Business Owners and Employees”. In fact, on 16 May 2021, when Singapore adopted heightened alert restrictions, the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) received 40% more calls to their mental health helpline. This has resulted from elevated stress levels associated with lack of social interaction, loss of support from home as well as other factors such as fear of the virus, job uncertainty and difficult living conditions. Well-designed workspaces could play a big role in lowering such anxiety and stress and making employees happier and more productive people.

The Singapore government has been long aware of the importance of building healthier workspaces. In 2018, the Singapore Building and Construction Authority (BCA) introduced the Green Mark for Healthier Workspaces certification scheme in collaboration with the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to cultivate healthier indoor environments that promote employees’ health and well-being in addition to being sustainable. More recently in April 2021, the BCA Green Mark 2021 (GM: 2021) pilot was launched as part of the Singapore Green Building Masterplan, and will fully take effect from 1 November 2021. The GM: 2021 expands upon the previous Green Mark scheme and aims to raise standards in energy performance, place greater emphasis on sustainability and promote outcomes that are aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

It has a section dedicated to Health and Well-being (GM 2021 Hw) which involves scoring buildings on the way they are designed, retrofitted, constructed and operated to facilitate the mental, physical and sociological well-being of their occupants. These schemes will be pivotal in ensuring that workspaces in new and existing buildings are designed or redesigned with the wellness of occupants in mind.

The impact of light on a person’s health and well-being

Lighting has a visual, emotional, and biological impact on people. It is the main component that drives our visual capabilities and has a psychological and physiological effect as it controls the body’s circadian system which regulates our sleep-wake cycle and affects perception and moods throughout the day. Apart from giving us vision, lighting directly contributes to our comfort and ability to perform tasks. Studies have shown that bad lighting is associated with negative physical and mental health effects.

Natural light, in particular, is known to reduce stress, improve cognitive function, creativity and improve well-being. This has made it a key component of biophilic design – the concept of bringing nature indoors — by including nature in the interior or architectural design. The idea is to use indoor lighting to mimic natural light so as to create a healthy, engaging, and inspiring environment to improve well-being at workspaces. Implementing biophilic design elements enables organizations to use light that optimizes employee health and well-being, resulting in happier, more focused and energetic employees which in turn leads to better productivity.

Light — a key component of the international WELL Building StandardTM

Organizations looking to enhance their workspaces for greater employee well-being can look to the WELL Building StandardTM as a framework. Developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and launched in 2014, the WELL Building Standard is a global building standard for health and well-being. Now in its second iteration, WELL v2 continues to encourage a people-first approach to buildings, building upon the foundation laid by the previous WELL standards.

‘Light’ is one of 10 “Standard Concepts” of the Standard. A building that has achieved the WELL certificates indicates its fulfilment of guidelines in nine different lighting design considerations such as “Circadian Lighting Design (L03)” and “Daylight Simulations” — both are major components of biophilic design. Projects that are certified under the WELL Building Standard will also receive recognition and certain exemptions as part of the GM 2021 Hw.

Signify’s lighting technologies support buildings to achieve WELL Building Standard

At Signify, we help companies in achieving the “Light” standard concept of the WELL Building Standard with our innovative products and services. With Signify’s LED lights, organizations will be able to achieve initial lighting preconditions for certification, “Light Exposure” and “Visual Lighting Design”. “Light Exposure” requires the project to provide appropriate light exposure using lighting strategies in indoor settings. On the other hand, “Visual Lighting Design” requires appropriate illuminances on work areas for regular users for all age groups depending on the tasks performed in the space. Signify’s LED lights are visually comfortable, flexible and scalable. With a wide variety of luminaires available, there is a solution that caters to the unique requirements of every type of workplace.

A building in Singapore that has adopted Signify’s solutions as part of its efforts to achieve global standards in promoting the well-being of occupants is Paya Lebar Quarter, a mixed-use development with three office towers. It was the first project in Singapore to register for the WELL Core and Shell Certification in 2017, aligned to its focus on integrating health and wellness components into the building design. Signify supplied the building with Power Balance light fixtures – the most energy-efficient light fitting with about a 140 lumen/watt efficacy, as well as light fixtures from its Modular lighting range.

Paya Lebar Quarter was also the first to achieve a Platinum ranking under the BCA’s Green Mark for Non-Residential Buildings NRB: 2015 in 2017. Lighting matters in the health and well-being of employees for any workspace in the world. Schemes and certifications such as GM 2021 and the WELL Building Standard will pave the way for an organization to take advantage of advancements in lighting to increase the resilience of its people and its business.

Signify Calls on World and Business Leaders to Accelerate Transition to Energy-efficient Connected LED Lighting

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

A green switch to LED lighting in the professional market around the globe could eliminate more than 553 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and save a total of EUR 177 billion per year on electricity costs

With global emissions rising at unprecedented levels and energy prices around the globe reaching all-time highs, it is now more urgent than ever that world and business leaders at COP26 in Glasgow commit to bolder targets to tackle climate change. Signify, one of the world leaders in lighting, advocates a fast transition to energy-efficient connected LED lighting1 to accelerate decarbonisation and advance digitalisation for businesses and consumers. World and business leaders should focus on making changes that deliver results quickly and impact both the professional and consumer lighting markets.

More than a decade after Signify’s call to phase out the incandescent light bulb around the globe, it now calls for the transition to energy-efficient connected LED lighting as the new standard of ‘general lighting’2. The move will contribute to meeting the goals of economic recovery plans around the world, including the European Green Deal and American Jobs Plan, and the commitments nations made in the Paris Agreement.

The call to action also reflects sentiment expressed by the International Energy Agency (IEA). In its recent ‘NetZero by 2050’ report, the IEA recommended that “the share of LED lamps in total lightbulb sales reaches 100% by 2025 in all regions” of the world and that minimum energy performance standards should be accompanied by smart control of appliances.

According to Signify’s findings, switching to LED lighting in the professional market could reduce CO2 emissions by 553 million tonnes – the amount of emissions that 25 billion trees could sequester in a year. Making the switch would also generate electricity savings of 1,132 TWh, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 494 million households. This would save a total of EUR 177 billion per year on electricity costs.3

“The current decade to 2030 will be decisive for world leaders to reach the goal of net-zero by 2050. They must back their commitments by actions that deliver results in the short to medium term,” said Brian Motherway, Head of Energy at IEA. “We envisage that a move to more energy-efficient technologies is one of the core measures that will help us in our Race to Zero.”

Doubling rate of building renovations to 3% per year

Upgrading lighting is the quickest and least intrusive part of building and infrastructure renovation, reducing the built environment’s lighting-related energy consumption by up to 80%, delivering carbon emissions reductions and cost savings. By moving directly to connected lighting, countries can also further their digital ambitions. It will accelerate the adoption of smart technologies in government buildings, industry, and households around the world, reaping benefits in productivity, health and wellbeing, and digital innovation. A revision of buildings codes will help to accelerate renovations around the globe.

“Interventions like the switch to renewable energy take time to yield results. Adopting energy-saving technologies can instantly relieve many of the urgent energy challenges the world is facing in electricity and fuel shortages and price hikes. We can act today by accelerating the switch to energy-efficient lighting, by doubling the rate of building renovations per year, and by mobilizing consumers to make their own significant impact in the Race to Zero,” said Eric Rondolat, CEO of Signify. “Driving energy efficiency improvements will reduce emissions and at the same time save businesses and consumers money, and create jobs.”

Raising awareness among consumers

Consumers can also play their own part in reducing CO2 emissions by switching to smart home lighting technologies and other ultra-efficient lighting innovations. To raise awareness and accelerate such a switch, Signify calls for the creation of public awareness campaigns that highlight the benefits of these lighting innovations, and to allocate some of the recovery funding for household lighting upgrades at a municipal level. Having people upgrade all their residential lighting would reduce their electricity use and CO2 emissions, and lower their electricity bills.

1. ‘Connected LED lighting’ is defined as LED lighting that is connected to software controls or is connectable.
2. ‘General lighting’ is defined as everyday lighting: bulbs and luminaires for home and professional settings (e.g. offices, commercial buildings, retail, stadiums, road and street, bridge, park and tunnel lighting, etc). It is acknowledged that there will be some non-LED conventional lighting still sold and used for specialist applications, where there is no LED alternative.
3. Global data presented here is a simulation within the framework of the Green Switch conventional light point conversion model, which is a program run by Signify to help its customers accelerate the switch to energy-efficient lighting products, systems and services. All figures and data presented here are illustrative and based on forecasts and assumptions.

Lead image courtesy of Signify

Signify Helps Hotels Save Energy Use And Costs While Maintaining Superior Guest Experience

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

The hotel industry faces the challenge to reduce its carbon emissions by 66 percent by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050 to stay within the 2˚C threshold agreed at COP21, a United Nations Climate Change initiative. Commissioned by Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, a study by Cundall shows that for mid-scale and luxury hotels, using Interact Hospitality can deliver significant energy savings without compromising on quality and guest comfort.

This connected guest room management system allows for intuitive guest room management in a single dashboard. Compared to rooms with no smart controls in operation, a luxury hotel can consume 28 percent less energy per guest room at 80 percent occupancy. When the guest uses the Green Mode on the thermostat an additional 10 percent energy saving can be achieved.

Hotels are big players when it comes to energy consumption, consistently ranking among the highest energy consumers of the tertiary building sector, which focuses on delivering services.

One possible explanation for high energy use and inefficient energy practices, is that hotels often prioritize guest comfort and experience over everything else. But much more can be done than asking guests to opt-in to less frequent towel changes and the increasing use of refillable toiletry dispensers Cundall’s study shows how integration of control systems into key building services (air conditioning, lighting and power), can play a major role in reaching the energy reduction targets set by the International Tourism Partnership, while maintaining guest comfort.

“Signify’s Interact Hospitality system has a big impact on reducing energy costs, as it controls the room lighting, air conditioning, power and charging sockets and motorized curtains. For example, hotels can optimize their energy usage in unoccupied guest rooms by adjusting the temperature levels in the room automatically and open curtains only when guests have checked in,” said Jella Segers, Global Lead for Hospitality at Signify.

Cundall’s study shows that 65% of the realized energy savings in the hotels studied were achieved due to the integration between Interact Hospitality and the hotel property management system. The remaining 35% energy savings are achieved due to the real-time occupancy control in the guest room.

“Commonly used temperature setpoints used by hotels often make guests feel too warm or too cold, marking vast gaps between indoor and outdoor temperatures. Working with Cundall, recommendations of temperature setpoint ranges have been created, commonly referred to as adaptive comfort hypothesis,” Segers added. Understanding the bandwidth of comfortable temperature set points gives more options for energy savings.

“Based on seasonal changes, the Interact Hospitality system provides support to automatically update temperature setpoints across the hotel, balancing energy use with optimal guest comfort,” said Marcus Eckersley, Managing Director SEA for Cundall.

“Although this study has presented significant energy savings for hotels in hot climates within Southeast Asia, Middle East and North Africa, we anticipate similar savings from heating for hotels in temperate climates, like Europe and North America. Hotel operators can expect favorable returns on investment, compared to guest rooms without a smart control system in operation,” Eckersley added.

Through its open Application Program Interface (API), the Interact Hospitality system communicates to various hotel IT systems, from housekeeping to engineering, as well as guest tablets. Other than maximizing energy efficiency and meeting sustainability goals, staff productivity and guest experience are improved.

Operations can be streamlined, and fast turnaround times are possible with minimal guest disruptions, as Interact Hospitality offers an intuitive dashboard with real-time displays of guest requests and room conditions.