Workplace environments are a focus for DOE because many people spend a majority of their waking hours in these environments. For some, the workplace is a manufacturing facility, while for others it is an open office environment. Even among open office environments, there is considerable variability (e.g., layout of desks, height of partitions, access to views) and thanks to advances in LED technology, more electric lighting and control options are available. DOE studies in the workplace are focused on understanding occupant response to advanced lighting systems, as well as other characteristics of the built environment.
Studies conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory seek to document and evaluate existing conditions, conduct photometric and colorimetric field measurements, perform comprehensive reviews of installed lighting systems, design and analyze surveys for pre- and post-installation evaluations, and perform energy analysis of lighting systems, including how circadian metric criteria may affect energy consumption.
Cook County Offices
This report details the lighting design process for a lighting system aiming to meet relevant circadian lighting metric recommendations and includes a comparison of simulation tools, a discussion of energy considerations, and a research plan for a Circadian Lighting Pilot Project cut short by the pandemic.
Lighting for Health and Wellness Recommendations in Offices: A Circadian Lighting Pilot Project in Chicago, Illinois (Report, January 2023)
IMEG Office in Chicago, Illinois
This project is exploring the use of ecological momentary assessments and wearable data to understand how occupants in a downtown Chicago office building respond to tunable lighting.
Studying Response to Light in Offices: A Literature Review and Pilot Study (Journal article, February 2023)
ETC Headquarters and Manufacturing Facility in Middleton, Wisconsin
This project is exploring the use of networked spectrometers to understand how occupant light exposure varies throughout the day for different job types and different work locations.
Comparing Occupant Light Exposure in Factory and Office Spaces (Report, October 2023)