Should You Consider Human-Centric Lighting for Your Smart Home Project?

"Nothing can dim the light that shines from within..."

Did you know that human-centric lighting can decrease stress, improve mental health, and make it easier to get a good night's sleep? This concept has become increasingly popular with designers recently. But how does it work? And should you consider it for your smart home project? 

Learn more about human-centric lighting and its impact on someone's circadian rhythm in this quick guide.

Human-Centric Lighting, Explained

Lighting is perhaps the most critical component of interior design. The right light in the right place can bring smart home projects alive by creating the illusion of extra space and highlighting room features.

For years, homeowners and designers have thought up new methods to allow daylight to flood into interiors. These methods include installing skylights, adding additional windows, and even playing with mirrors and other accessories to create the illusion of natural light in a particular space. However, allowing more sunlight to enter a property isn't always possible, especially if a designer has a small budget or older properties can't accommodate features like skylights and extra windows.

This is where human-centric lighting comes in. It doesn't refer to any particular lighting product. Instead, it's the concept of creating lighting solutions that simulate natural sunlight that impact someone's circadian rhythm.

How Does Human-Centric Lighting Work?

Designers can implement human-centric lighting through white tunable LED systems. These systems come with different LEDs, dimmable drivers, and controllers that allow artificial light to mimic a person's circadian rhythm—the 24-hour cycle in their body's internal clock. Imitating a circadian rhythm with the right lighting system can positively affect the physical and mental changes someone's body experiences within a daily cycle.

White tunable light is only one component of human-centric lighting. Designers will implement lighting solutions using the Internet of Things, sensors, adaptive controls, wireless applications, and other technologies to enhance performance, productivity, and sleep patterns during a 24-hour circadian rhythm. These technologies also allow users to control the lighting in their homes and improve energy efficiency.

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Technology and Hardware

Our technology/hardware partner Crestron has recently release a line of individually tunable LED fixtures. The modular design of Crestron LED light fixtures gives you unprecedented flexibility and control to complement any décor with the highest quality light. Options include adjustable, wall wash, fixed frame, pinhole fixtures, multiple enclosure possibilities, and square or round trims. Crestron controlled tunable light fixtures support the circadian rythm methodology, delivering perfectly tuned lighting throughout the day which ultimately supports your mental and physical health.

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Human-Centric Lighting Benefits

Here are some of the advantages of incorporating human-centric lighting into your smart home project:

• Human-centric lighting can improve productivity. That's because it stimulates natural daylight, which can reduce symptoms of eyestrain, blurred vision, headaches, and other conditions that might impact performance.
• This lighting solution can also increase alertness. Research shows that subjects exposed to natural daylight in the afternoon were more awake in the early evening and performed to a higher standard than when exposed to artificial light.
• One study reveals that exposure to natural sunlight daily can improve mood and promote sleeping patterns. Human-centric lighting simulates sunlight, making it valuable for mental health and rest.

Final Word

Human-centric lighting is a lighting concept that mimics natural daylight. Incorporating this concept into your smart home project can improve the mood, sleep patterns, and productivity levels of people who live or move into your property. The smart capabilities of human-centric lighting can also result in more control over light usage and increased energy efficiency.

Consider human-centric lighting for your upcoming smart home project. Our technology partner Creston has created a new line of light ceiling fixtures based around the circadian rhythm structure. Learn more.