Lighting is an investment that can pay dividends in the education sector - Phil Brown, Product and Marketing Director at NVC Lighting, highlights the transformative role of LED lighting in educational establishments.

The positive impact of making the right lighting choices for an educational institution can go far beyond what you may think – NVC believe that by making intelligent decisions when it comes to choosing lighting products, can contribute to enhanced student performance, safety, and well-being, while addressing escalating energy expenses and sustainability goals.

So where do you start?

Benefits of LED Lighting

LED lights stand out as a preferred choice for education institutions thanks primarily to their energy efficiency benefits, which can translate into substantial cost savings and a reduced carbon footprint. Their extended lifespan will also reduce maintenance expenses, complimenting wider sustainability efforts and cost saving measures. Payback for changing to LED lighting can often be quicker than you think.

For pupils and teaching staff, LED lighting can contribute to an optimal learning environment across classrooms, sports halls and more, enhancing concentration, mood, and in turn, behaviour.

Integration & Control

The continuous advancement of LED technology means that fixtures can be integrated with smart wireless controls or wired DALI controls, allowing for the central management of lighting systems across multiple buildings. This not only enhances energy efficiency, but it also enables tailored lighting scenarios to compliment specific activities, intermittent occupancy levels, times of the day or seasons in the year.

Motion sensors and daylight harvesting features further optimise energy usage by automatically adjusting lighting levels based on occupancy and natural light availability. If plenty of daylight is available, lighting controls can exploit this, but window rows in classrooms for instance need to be controlled separately.

For less supervised spaces, like corridors and changing rooms, the lighting solution must be robust, with fittings that feature a high IP rating (impact protection). Changing rooms should have IP44 minimum, whilst kitchens and labs should be IP54 minimum.

Compliance & Support

Working with NVC Lighting brings certainty in several key areas for their customers – primarily, they have a reputation for providing high quality, compliant products.

Understanding the reasons behind and benefits of compliance standards can be particularly helpful – they don’t expect all of their customers to know the specifics requirements needed from a lighting perspective, so they are trusted to bring the right solutions to the table.

In classrooms for example, for compliance with BS EN 12464, illuminance at desk level should be 300-500 lux for most classrooms, with 0.6-0.7 uniformity.

Glare also needs to be considered carefully, which can prevent students from seeing their teacher, or the whiteboard, clearly, as well as preventing teachers from making eye-contact with pupils and in the worst case can cause headaches, tiredness, and absenteeism.

NVC Lighting

NVC Lighting is a leading LED lighting manufacturer, and a reputable provider offering tailored options for educational institutions. Their range of products, including the YALE PRO, FULTON and PORTLAND bulkhead amongst others, emphasises reliability, energy efficiency, and compliance with industry standards.

They offer an end-to-end service to educational institutions, including site surveys, technical support, and high-quality LED products backed by seven-year warranties. Their user-friendly installations, coupled with smart lighting control technology, maximise energy savings and foster a conducive environment for learning and well-being.

For more information on NVC Lighting's solutions and services for educational institutions, visit www.nvcuk.com.