amBX SmartCore Named as one of the Leaders within the Circadian Lighting Market
With the transition to daylight saving mode last weekend, it’s officially the start of the winter months. Cold, dark nights and shorter days can have a huge impact on our health and wellbeing. In recent years, there has been a rise in the rate of seasonal affective disorders across the population and research has shown that the rate of health conditions such as heart problems and mental disorders increase at this time of transition. Research has shown that Circadian Lighting can help to regulate our circadian rhythms, improving the sleep/wake cycle and reducing the negative effects associated with this time of year.
Infinity Business Insights have published a report about the Circadian Lighting Market, and they name amBX SmartCore as one of the top players within the industry. The market research company offer intelligence from all around the world. They state that the Circadian Lighting Market is influenced by technical advancements such as IoT becoming readily available in our homes; it’s cost-effective to buy and easy to install, so this is driving the wider adoption of Circadian Lighting within the home environment.
They claim that the Circadian Lighting Market is expected to witness market growth at a rate of 19.53% in the forecast period 2021 to 2027 (OpenPR).
Covid-19 has also been a big driver in the adoption of Circadian Lighting in the commercial environment. There has been an increase in significant pressure on businesses to make their workplaces COVID safe – Circadian Lighting, air quality, occupant temperature, people counting, occupant control/analytics and contactless operations were all in demand.
Due to advances in LED technology and understanding of the impact of light on human behaviour, it is now possible to use the principles of Circadian Lighting in the workplace. The principle of Circadian Lighting is to mimic natural daylight routines to match the needs of biological cycles, also known as circadian rhythms. It provides improved health and wellbeing and supports aspects of human behaviour that benefit from varied and changeable lighting.
Since emerging from the pandemic, businesses are adopting the ‘healthy building’ mantra to continue operating safely and providing occupants with added benefits many wouldn’t get when working from home. As a result of making people feel more secure, valued and happy, they become more productive, and staff retention rates increase.
However, it is not just lighting cycles alone that affect employees’ concentration and sleep patterns; colour plays an important role. The Light Research Program at Thomas Jefferson University found that blue light strengthens and stimulates connections between areas of the brain that process emotion and language. This means that blue light may, in turn, help people to better handle emotional challenges and regulate mood over time. Because of this, the researchers suggested that adding blue light to indoor atmospheres, as opposed to the standard yellow lights, which are typically used, may help boost mood and productivity year-round.
The research highlights that lighting levels in offices also play a key part in human cognitive behaviour and, when combined with variable colour, can be used to provide improved lighting that supports the tasks being carried out. It is argued that increased levels of illuminance can likely be beneficial in the workplace.
Another study by AT Kearney’s showed the significant improvement potential from Circadian Lighting vs LED lighting. In both repetitive and advanced manual tasks, it showed more productivity (4.5% vs LED lighting), fewer errors (1%) and fewer accidents (1%) due to increased alertness and energising effects of lighting. Some research even suggests productivity increases of up to 19%, 1% reduction in sick days due to better wellbeing and an increase of +1-year duration of employees staying with the company. Additionally, the office participants found their total work performance to be 18% better, 71% found they had more energy, 76% thought they were happier, and 50% healthier.
Since the pandemic, our basic needs have changed, occupants now expect more provisions to create a safe and healthy workplace. Circadian Lighting supports employees’ circadian cycles, making them feel alert and productive at the right times of day, improving mood and offering a whole host of benefits. As discussed, the ability to personalise lighting to suit individual occupant needs is also of high importance. The benefits derived from Circadian Lighting form part of the wellbeing package that many workplaces are starting to implement.
At amBX, we enable smart buildings with an interoperable control platform, SmartCore. Smart lighting control and monitoring is one of the key features, in particular Circadian Lighting/Human-Centric Lighting. This helps to improve occupant health and wellbeing as it maintains natural body clocks, ensuring we receive the right amount, quality, colour and intensity of light at the right times of the day.