Lighting Types and its Applications / Effects

The following part of the paper discusses the different types of lighting which includes ambient lighting, aesthetic, general lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting.

Ambient lighting: It lights each and every surface in the scene evenly. A very little amount of ambient lighting can be used to make a dim surface visible. Ambient light mimics the sun and fills a space with even amounts of light. Ambient lighting is generally useful in office and school settings.

Aesthetic lighting: This type of lighting can itself be described as a work of art. A neon sculpture would be purely decorative and an example of aesthetic lighting. A spotlight enlightening a statue on a pedestal or portrait on the wall is also artistic. This type of lighting also needs to be used along with other lighting types. Our widely popular Mood Light is the latest innovation in Aesthetic Lighting.

General lighting: It is considered to be the all-purpose type of lighting that creates a comfortable and safe environment. Generally, this kind of Lighting can be provided by incandescent, fluorescent, halogen and other types of bulbs from a wide variety of fixture types. The main consideration in General lighting is to provide an adequate level of light throughout the room without dark spots or shadows, as well as balancing the tone of the lights to work with other light sources.

Task lighting: This type of lighting is used to execute daily activities such as reading, cooking, shaving, putting on makeup, etc. It needs to be glare-free. Efficient task lighting enhances visual clarity and keeps the eyes from getting tired. Task lighting provides a direct beam of light for a specific task such as reading at a table.

Accent lighting: lighting to a particular direction or lighting that adds interest or highlights a certain object or unusual architectural feature in a room is accent lighting. A bulb and some kind of shield to direct the light are all that's needed for this type of lighting. Halogen spotlights and table lamps or floor lamps with opaque shades are good ways to achieve accent lighting.

The following part of the paper discusses the effects of different types of lighting can have on people, both physically and psychologically.

The quality of lighting clearly affects people. People who generally stay outdoors for a significant part of each day, the quality of indoor lighting to which they are exposed may be of little effect. Their needs for natural light stimulation may be adequate. But those people who spend most of their time indoors with a very little outdoor exposure limited only to morning and evening light, the need for artificial lighting arises that is supplements with light stimulation in the spectrum areas of energy deficiency especially blue.

The association of lighting to the physical well-being and health of people is not surprising. Nor are the effects of color surprising. Blue color of the sky, the greens of vegetation, and earth tones are part of our natural environment. It is considered that most of the people will feel comfortable and relaxed in environments that closely simulate these conditions.

As the natural light provide the spectral energy distribution necessary for all of these biological functions. Similarly, full-spectrum fluorescent illumination provides all of the spectral energy distribution although light levels are much lower than daylight levels. The spectra of incandescent and cool-white fluorescent sources appear to fall short of covering the entire photobiologic action spectra of importance to a human being.

While high doses of UV light may contribute to health-related problems, the doses received from the lights from an 8 hour day are the equivalent of less than 15 minutes in the sun. This level is well within the ranges recommended as healthy for most individuals.

When it comes to lighting, it is very important that it should spread equally in all rooms. A room with improper lighting will become boring rather quickly. It will also tend to fatigue the user. Different types of lighting like Up lights, down lights and wall washers works well together. When these combine together they make a good team in almost any room and if dimmers are added they can perform well in any atmosphere.

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