Light as a factor significantly influencing the work environment has not received widespread attention in Estonian work culture so far. At the same time, human centric and adjustable lighting solutions have already been successfully implemented in Germany, the backbone of the European economy.

For thousands of years, people worked outdoors day in and day out, as a result of which our biological clocks became accustomed to the daily light regime of the earth. Today, social and technological developments have led us to a situation where we spend most of our time indoors in monotonous artificial light, which is unfortunately not the best environment for working.

An insufficient light solution creates a flat, unnatural and physically and mentally limiting environment. According to Sten Pajula, Lighting Sales Engineer at Eesti Energia, the main goal of human centric lighting solutions is to reduce the stress caused by artificial light: "The light in a meeting room will be the same at 8 a.m, 12 noon or 4 p.m, but outside the light is constantly changing. With new solutions, it is possible to adjust the lighting in such a way that it helps to imitate the biological rhythm of the outdoor environment."

A human centric lighting solution adapts to the user's wishes. "For example, in a one-on-one meeting, you can make the colour temperature in the room more yellow, which creates a calmer and cosier environment for private conversations," Pajula explains.

As another example, he points out the situation where it is necessary to create a favourable environment for a joint brainstorming of a team: "With the help of human centric lighting, you can adjust the colour temperature in the room to a brighter light as at noon, which creates a more productive and vivid environment for intensive thinking."

Research has shown that adjustable lighting helps reduce stress, increases productivity and makes employees more loyal. It is no longer necessary to sit in an office with artificial lighting day by day or get tired in a meeting room that is too dark. Employees are interested in employers who care about the well-being and health of their people.

And the employer wins as well. Adjustable lighting based on LED technology helps to save up to 60% on electricity compared to a luminophore solution. LED technology also has a longer lifespan and virtually no maintenance costs.

"Lifespan with LED technology does not mean that bulbs will burn out in ten years. In the case of LED, the lifespan means that the luminous flux will drop by a certain percentage,” Pajula says. In addition, he adds that the only consistent requirement for maintenance is cleaning: “You do not need to replace the luminaire or its contents. It is important that the luminaire and its place are regularly cleaned.”

When living on the outskirts of the Western world, there are inevitably moments when Estonian work culture and habits adapt to developments in other parts of the world with a delay. Adjustable lighting is one place where Estonian work culture can be among the first, make a leap and position itself as an excellent example. Let's make human centric lighting the Tiger Leap of the decade for our work environment!

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