During the summer of 2020, Erikslund’s high school in Borlänge will replace the lighting in all classrooms with Human Centric Lightning (HCL).
Old lighting in all class-rooms will be replaced to adjustable white light with the possibility to change the color temperature from hot to cold light and to control the intensity manually via scenario panels and via an automated sequence. In short, you recreate the natural daily rhythm that daylight gives us, with artificial light.
Lennart Carlsson from Fastighets AB Hushagen:
– Today we have as little as 250 Lux in some premises. Now we will get 600-800 Lux. The new lighting will help students stay alert and concentrated. The possibility of adapting the light to the educational environment will hopefully contribute to better performance and increased well-being.
It’s about providing the right light at the right time
Four scenarios can be set on the display in each classroom: Focus, Relaxation, Presentation and HCL. Absence control will also be turned on.
In the picture above, Lennart Carlsson (left) and Pär Brorsson from the contractor Midroc show how the display looks.
Pär Brorsson explains how the system is supposed to work:
– In the morning, the classroom automatically gets more intense light to wake the students up, then the light is controlled via an automated sequence.
However, the teacher can choose to manually activate focus light when it is time for short-term concentration-demanding tasks and relaxation lighting for reading.
A DALI control system (Helvar router) is installed in all class-rooms and adjoining rooms allowing to regulate all lighting and to program different lighting scenarios.
When asked what inspired him to start the project, Lennart says:
– Last fall, I received an invitation from ByggDialog Dalarna to an afternoon seminar (Energy Café) at Dalarna University where they talked about a successful project at a school in Malmö. It gave me inspiration to set new requirements for this procurement. It is important with good lighting for all students, and in particular for the students with special needs at our school.
Has the choice of HCL control led to higher costs? Lennart answers:
– Installation costs are the same, while the luminaires are about 30% more expensive.
The project at Erikslund Gymnasium is the first HCL system at a school in Dalarna. In addition to changing lighting, parts of the ventilation and fire safety system will also be changed.
However, Pär Brorsson says that Midroc made other installations in Borlänge, for example at the company Svenska Krämfabriken AB.
In the autumn, there will be an evaluation of the system with staff and students and follow-up of the energy consumption.
About Erikslundsgymnasiet:
The school offers electricity and energy programs as well as vehicles and transport programs. About 150 students study at the school, several of whom have special needs.
About EFFECT4buildings:
EFFECT4buildings is implemented with the support from the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Program 2014-2020 (European Regional Development Fund) and Norwegian national funding. The aim of the project is to improve the capacity of public building managers in the Baltic Sea Region by providing a comprehensive decision-making support toolbox with a set of financial instruments to unlock the investments and lower the risks of implementing energy efficiency measures in buildings owned by public stakeholders. For more information: http://www.effect4buildings.se
Text: Hans Ahlin, EFFECT4buildings, ByggDialog Dalarna
