Chapter 1 · Understanding Lighting
Why Lighting Matters
Lighting is the first thing a customer notices in a building, and the first thing they show their friends. It is also where the gap between a good installation and a poor one is most visible to the person living there, every single evening.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Explain why one bright light in a room is not a good solution
- Choose the right white color temperature for a room and say why
- Recognise which types of colored light can serve as a room's main light
The situation
A customer shows you their new living room. One powerful ceiling light in the middle, on a normal switch. They tell you it feels harsh in the evening, and their partner complains about shadows when reading on the sofa.
They ask you to fit a dimmer. That would help a little. But the real problem is not the switch. The room has one light circuit doing a job that needs three.
Why one light is never enough
Designing good lighting is a discipline in its own right, and it is easy to get wrong. Without care, lights end up too strong and cause eye strain, or too weak to be useful.
A single sufficiently powerful switched light is not the best solution for a room. It cannot be dimmed, and it casts harsh shadows. It is far better to have several light circuits in a room, so shadows are filled in and brightness can be adjusted to the moment.
Traditionally, planning that distribution properly required a lighting architect, which is expensive. The alternative, buying fittings from a hobby market, carries a high risk of poor results: circuits with mismatched colour temperatures, lights that are too strong, or fittings that degrade over time.
Color changes how a room feels
Light affects the human body more than most people realise, so the color of the light in a room is not a decorative choice.
Warm tones create a sense of comfort and relaxation, which suits morning and evening light. Cool tones support concentration and motivate work.
Color temperature is measured in Kelvin.
| Colour | Temperature | Suited to | How it feels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm white | Below 3300 K | Homes, restaurants | Warm, cosy, relaxed |
| Neutral white | 3300 to 5000 K | Workplaces, kitchens | Clear, alert, balanced |
| Cold white | Above 5000 K | Hospitals, commercial spaces | Alert, energetic, focused |
Three ways to make white light
Not every colored light can serve as the main light in a room. The difference is whether the fitting has a dedicated white channel.
RGBW. Colored light with a separate white channel. That separate white is what makes it suitable as the main light source in a room, and the white can be warmed by adding red or cooled by adding blue. All LOXONE luminaires can do this, as can RGBW LED strips.
Tunable White. Adjustable colour temperature, often described as cool white plus warm white. Also suitable as a main light source.
RGB. Colored light with no separate white channel, so it is not suitable as the main light in a room. It is most often found in LED strips and third party colored fittings.
Where LOXONE sits
There are two poor options at either end of the market. A do it yourself solution from a hobby market risks inconsistent color temperature, lights that are too strong or too weak, and fittings that fade over time. A solution designed by a lighting architect delivers excellent results at considerable cost.
LOXONE lights sit between the two. They dim smoothly, hold a consistent white color temperature across circuits, and planning with them produces good results that anyone can achieve. There is margin in it for you as well, through the partner discount.