Category: Lighting Commentary

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Lighting Commentary

Is Solar Lighting Ready for “Primetime?”

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On a recent webinar I delivered covering exterior lighting, I was asked about the validity of solar. My unfortunate response, on residential-sized products had to be, “Not Ready for Primetime.”

That weekend, I watched a documentary on Mária Telkes, a pioneering biophysicist who made research into solar energy her life’s work, so much so that she was eventually nicknamed “The Sun Queen.” Unfortunately for her, she was a woman in science in the 40s and 50s and oil was becoming the “Big Oil” behemoth we now know. Because of that, her vision was never nurtured and the potential of solar was never allowed to be realized.

When talking with people who are knowledgeable on solar today, the reason continually stated for its stagnation is “energy storage” and the measured distribution of that stored power. I was struck, while watching the documentary to learn that these were the same challenges she faced and she was attempting to address, while also fighting the patriarchy and the small mindedness of male colleagues. If she was concentrating on these problems in the 1950s and had been provided with a modicum of support, my answer to the designer’s question might have been substantially different today.

I have been attending the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) for about twenty years. The reason this blog post is a day early is because I am on my way to New York for the next installment of this show. A great feature of this show if the “Student/Emerging Designer” section. Clever, interesting and relevant new ideas created by new, recently graduated or emerging product designers are given a prominent, underwritten stage. Many of these ideas are fun, exciting and thought-provoking. A decade or so ago (could be longer!) I talked with a young guy who had developed a solar landscape lighting path light. Rather than the solar collection panel being a wart on the top of the luminaire, he had integrated the panel into the contour of the fixture head. He likewise integrated the color and tone of panel with the finish. It was a beautiful product. I talked to the student/inventor about the solar capabilities. I asked about the storage and distribution of power. He, like Telkes was optimistic. This is a problem that will be solved soon.

Exterior lighting and landscape lighting in particular is a natural for solar. It is the reason this particular question comes up almost every time I talk about outdoor lighting.  As we strive for more energy independence and look for more ways to reduce our carbon footprint, it sure would be nice if we would have supported a person who had different ideas, alternate vison and unique viewpoints. Think about that as you witness governmental mandates against people, lifestyles and education that does not conform to the “norm” (whatever that might be.) Supporting those who think differently might in-fact be the most substantial move we make to insure a better future.

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Lighting Commentary

The Shape of Light

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Artificial light has been around since some caveman figured out how to create, or harness fire. In those early days, the shape of light was roughly equivalent to the pile of combustible material gathered to keep the fire functioning. Those early Neanderthals quickly learned that if the material was tightly packed, the burn was much more controlled and consistent. A heap of wood created a heap of light.

As we moved from caves to constructed dwellings, fire was now allowed inside, the fire transitioning from outdoor pits to fireplaces. Human demand for a more controlled application led us to create lanterns fueled by oils and candles supported by wax and wick. The candle and the lantern were no longer associated with its byproduct of either heat, or food preparation. Its sole reason for existence was illumination. Humans have been stuck with that shape ever since.

Stuck? What?

As interiors transitioned to gaslight, hanging lights, chandeliers and sconces retained the same basic shape and size of candlelight and oil light by forcing the gas to similar delivery shapes. A gas stopcock was added to form a flame that replicated the wick created fire. Barely a change in size is evident in the diffusers. While all of the creators of incandescent light started with a variety of proportions and dimensions, the eventual shape of electric light was finessed into the parameters established by flame and gas. The luminaire industry STILL to this day uses gas pipe thread as a standard across the industry and many of the components of a lighting fixture carry gas or plumbing names along with their odd thread sizes. Some of the most popular incandescent light bulbs are those shaped to replicate a flame. They fit nicely into chandeliers that replicate candle-holding lights of the past.

New York Magazine recently featured a reasonably well-researched article about the writer’s beef with LED. (There’s Something Off About LED Bulbs by Tom Scocca) He does makes some mistakes about CRI. I’ll reserve those for another blog post. The bulk of the content contains some of the typical complaints people have with LED, many of which I have addressed in previous posts relating to our desire for “cheap” and then being unhappy with the results; blaming it on the supplier who gave the consumer what they wanted. If you’ve ever seen the political cartoon “Tammany Ring” by Thomas Nast, you’ll understand this circular argument. Don’t give the customer what they want, because they don’t know what they want. Throughout the article he relates problems with LED because of shape.

Regardless of technology, consumers seem to want light in the package to which they have become accustomed. We want our LED to be shaped like incandescent, which was shaped like gas, which was shaped like a candle flame. Unfortunately, that is where science is having a bit of a problem. That problem is fodder for writers like Scocca.

When LED were new, cost was of secondary importance and the new light could be formed into whatever function was required. Form follows function was a principle attributed to Architect Louis Sullivan that states the item should in some way relate to the purpose. LED are not well suited for the confining shape of an incandescent envelope and screwshell. They must be kept cool and the narrowing screw-thread section of a light bulb provides so little space for cooling, as the article title intimates, they do some odd things. Function can’t (shouldn’t) follow form.

I have continually promoted and pushed fully integrated LED luminaires in opposition to retrofit LED lightbulbs for this very reason. Our kitchen was remodeled at the very early hours of LED. EVERY light in the room is LED. Almost all of them were “the first” LED products developed by companies like Cree, Philips and Kichler. They were also substantially more expensive than their incandescent counterparts at the time. None of the luminaires were “stuffed” into incandescent lamp enclosures. All of them are still functioning. I have had no problems with any of them and performance has been excellent.

As consumers, we can get what we want, but we should instead take what experts suggest. There is the old line about the first automobile that remains valid today. If asked, customers did not want a car, they just wanted a faster horse. Closer to today, no one ever asked for a mobile phone. Life today without a car or a mobile is almost inconceivable. Possible, but unlikely.

The same should be considered with LED. Eventually, engineers might figure out how to stuff LED into hot tiny confining places and maintain their performance characteristics. In the meantime, look to integrated luminaires as the later-day automobile or mobile phone. You’ll get what you do not yet know you want.

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Lighting Commentary

Different Materials

I read recently that nature artist and designer, Paul Cocksedge created a new piece of art, now on view inside Liverpool Cathedral. As is the case with so much of his work, it is based on natural materials and in this instance, provides a commentary on the world’s fossil fuel dependence. Cocksedge has arranged 2000 pieces of coal, weighing a half-ton, into a sphere. The amount of coal used is apparently equal to the amount needed to keep a 200W light bulb illuminated for a year.

After looking at the images, I realized it created the illusion of a chandelier. He has arranged downlights around the piece to reflect the luminous surface of the type of coal he used, anthracite. This look is every bit as engaging as crystal and gold.

This got me thinking. Why do luminaire manufacturers stay with the same materials? Brass, glass, steel, aluminum and some resins are pretty much the pallet from which they work. Occasionally, we see alabaster being used. Mica has had a place in mission style lanterns. Corten® steel is occasionally employed. Lead crystal and now optical crystal have gone in and out of fashion. The same can be said for wood. Could we think farther outside of the material box?

Anthracite really does deliver a beautiful look. Where could we unearth the next material that provides the same unexpected result? Would formed, thin wall concrete allow for simple shapes to be created? I’ve just read about a new translucent concrete used for lighted park benches. Is there wider application?

A couple of years ago, dichromatic glass became popular with artists and craftspeople. You couldn’t toss a hammer in a summer arts fair without hitting a booth employing this material. I wonder why it did not translate to lighting. Just prior to that, the same could be said of hematite. Its lustrous black finish would probably work today as we enjoy continued use of matte black in so much home fashion.

I remember an early trip to the Philippines where artisans were fabricating fossil stone (Mactan) into lamp parts. It was exciting to see something new being tried. It had a nice run for five or six years. Capiz Shells, made from the windowpane oyster, likewise could be found “everywhere” for almost a decade.

I’m waiting for the next new material. What could it be? When will it arrive? How will it get here? If you’re trying to determine “what’s next” like me, look to artists and artisans, find out what they are creating and how they are making new things. Understand the medium they use. Seek out those that are striking a new path.

Perhaps this is the reason societies have artists. They are trained to look at thing differently. That different outlook can lead to materials that will find their way into every-day products…and perhaps, lighting.

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Lighting Commentary

No More Moore’s

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Gordon E. Moore, a giant behind the silicone computer chip, but perhaps better known for his conceptual predictions of growth trends known as “Moore’s Law” died last week. If you’re unfamiliar, he observed that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit double every two years. As this overarching observation turned into reality, he further added two corollaries. Evolving technology would make computers more and more expensive to build, but consumers would pay less and less for them because so many would be sold.

The rise of LED followed a very similar path of better and better output and lower and lower costs.

In his New York Time obituary, they indicated that the end of viability for Moore’s Law was imminent. Recently, similar predictions have been made about LED. With efficacy in the 200 lumens per watt range, only incremental improvements have occurred lately. The plateau we all expected is here. The LED version of Moore’s Law has come to a close.

Both silicone chips and LED diodes are the result of creative engineers pushing the edges of their respective specialties. No doubt, gathering momentum and strength from the successes of the other.

I have recently listened to two extended interviews with music producer, Rick Rubin. He is promoting his recent book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, about the creative process. He is a fascinating voice and yet another book has been added to my growing list. If you don’t know Rubin’s work, listen to the Johnny Cash “American Recordings” They are quintessential examples of a career coda. A summation of a hard scrabbled life by an outlaw musician coming to terms with his mortality and his faith. The reason Cash was able to create these masterpieces was Rubin.

In his book, Rubin postulates that creative people build their work on the shoulders of other creative work. He rejects the idea that creatives should ignore other creatives. Seeing other good work does not mean it will be mimicked or reproduced into yours. Instead, creativity inspires creativity and the unique skill of one only heightens the output of another.

With that in mind, I like to imagine that the creative minds that transformed the lighting industry were looking across the imaginary Silicon Valley and upon seeing their success, were motivated to work harder and better resulting in the lighting we know, today. Creativity begat creativity. Thanks Mr. Moore for better lighting.

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Lighting Commentary

What’s Next For Lighting?

Let’s call out the parade! We won. LED is now the official light source of the world. We’ve saved lots of money. Energy use is down. Wo-Hoo! We’re done!

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Or, perhaps, we are not. If you’ve noticed a lull in new lighting product innovation you’re not mistaken. I believe however, it would be wrong to assume this to be a permanent state. Instead, we need to keep our eyes open for the next innovation that will rock the lighting world.

Advances in Integration

Over a decade ago, the “Lighting For Tomorrow” competition instigated new and exciting energy efficient products into the market. Initially, products were created to prove that fluorescent didn’t need to be ugly, but LED appeared quickly thereafter and the whole landscape changed. Because we are fully enmeshed in the use of LED, that competition has been abandoned in favor of the “Integrated Home Competition.” By seamlessly linking HVAC, controls and lighting, the next level of energy savings might be met. Finding a system that is easy to use and requires minimal education for the consumer can take us to the next level of energy savings.

https://www.integratedhome.org/

Cutting Bait on Existing Technology

Perhaps you noticed the news that Canada and a few states in America are considering a ban on HID, high-pressure sodium and Metal Halide lighting. The US got rid of Mercury Vapor a number of years ago. There is also a growing band of government entities who have already ended, or are in the process of ending, the use of fluorescent. LED is now the only real game in town. I have even seen OLEDs on a list of possible elimination in Europe because of its lack of efficacy. Ultimately, this means that the desire for increased energy efficiency has NOT disappeared.

Most industry experts and utility concerns understand that the next generation of energy savings will come from more effectively applied controls. Occupancy sensors, motion sensors, zoned lighting controls and a more generous collection of dimmers will all result in reduced lighting power demand. This may seem awfully incremental, but a study done by Pacific Gas & Electric in 2013 on an Ace Hardware Warehouse illustrated the impact controls could achieve.

The original fluorescent and HID lighting was swapped for, at the time, “new” LED luminaires. That move reduced energy consumption to 80% of original. By adding, dimming, daylight sensitive switches, occupancy controls, course zoning and fine zoning controls, the end result brought energy consumption to an incredibly low 7% (a 93% reduction of energy) of the baseline! If even a portion of that can be achieved in a residence, it must be considered a win.

You may read the entire PG&E report here: https://www.etcc-ca.com/sites/default/files/reports/ET12PGE3361%20LED%20High-Bay%20Lighting%20and%20Controls%20Assessment.pdf

Sweat Energy

The scientist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst have created a biofilm that sticks to the skin and creates electricity from sweat. They imagine it to be used for all types of electronic wearables and electronic health devices. Combining this invention with the recently discovered need to have light delivered to our bodies in various angles and directions and the whole concept of how we use light and how it is powered might be upended.

The researchers further believe that additional energy could be extracted from the naturally occurring process of evaporation. Apparently, half of the sun’s energy is lost in its transition to the earth. They believe they can capture some of that loss and turn it back into a usable resource. Yes, I know. This is wild. It seems so odd that we could extract energy from sweat and evaporation, but back in 1917 the concept of electroluminescence from solid-state diodes led us to LED today. With that as a baseline, almost anything is possible.

Small…Finally!

I have been saying for years that I didn’t understand why integrated LED recessed cans have maintained their 6” size. There is no reason for such a large hole in the ceiling now that diodes are delivering illumination. At the very least, I assumed the industry would swap to 4” as more of a standard. A number of smaller pieces have shown up on the market, but their output have been closer to recessed MR16 performance than the larger units.

Imagine my delight when I found the new CSL Whisper. This is a trimless ½” diameter recessed downlight. Checking out the specifications, it looks like the 50° optics deliver excellent light amounts. (A center-beam candle power of 1398.) While no recessed light placement is “rule-of-thumb,” numbers like this should work great in 10’-0” ceiling heights. A tighter 30° beam angle will be effective in tall locations or in areas with lower reflectance. Because of the extremely small size, glare should be very low. Checking out the installation instructions, it shows a very simple task. Clearly easier than installing that huge metal box in the plenum. This appears to be exactly what I had hoped would happen once some smart engineers started to think outside the 6” can. I have not yet seen the unit installed, but I sure am encouraged!

https://csllighting.com/SystemDetail.dmx?itemnum=WS-IC-Sys

Change

Perhaps these aren’t the paradigm shift we experienced with LED, but they do continue advanced movement and fresh thinking. It also suggests that lighting will not fall into another 130-year incandescent rut. We will, however need to expand our concept of light and energy savings to include some advances. Controls, sweat and ultra-tiny luminaires will make our exit from existing technologies easier. It also bodes well for a more planet-friendly, sustainable future. We should all feel good about that.

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Lighting Commentary

Residential Lighting Trend Influencers

Fashion has always been one of the four factors I’ve used to determine the direction of residential lighting trends. Admittedly, it is relegated to tertiary importance. Architecture, Related Home Furnishings (furniture, accessories and appliances) and Socioeconomic Direction are of course, much more relevant. It has however signaled direction, reflection, outlook, color and a score of other subtle guideposts that I have considered.

Balenciaga – Fall 2022 New York

Over the last few years, I have struggled to find the signs that fashion of the past provided. Even major houses such as Balenciaga and Givenchy now show elements of “streetwear” as haute couture. When designers do attempt creativity, it often arrives in an undefined and unable to relate exaggeration. (The pictured Balenciaga’s black-rubber suiting for example.) Few clues can be unearthed as to how that will provide influence to the home, unless the owner has some predetermined kink! Perhaps the faceless tech takeover of our lives is, in reverse, impacting fashion?

The most recent (Fall 2022) New York fashion week was by all accounts, a snooze-fest. Sure, the black rubber suit was fun, but little else was of interest or value (to me.) More paper thin dresses, exaggerated headwear/footwear and lots of casual. We could argue that the casual trend has resulted in homes and home décor that is equally relaxed, but that gets us only so far. “Street” has not resulted in ramshackle homes in deference to the torn, frayed and undersized/oversized jeans that continually show up on the runway.

Do I Switch to Only Three Factors in My Formulation of Upcoming Trends?

While many (most?) of us can never imagine ourselves pulling off haute couture, fashion of the past provided at least a modicum of connection to the real world. Now fashion has been usurped by an elite that does not connect to the collective “us.” The gap between couture and homeowners widens with each Milan season.

Neither my wife or I are trained in art, we have however spent a lot of time studying and viewing creative art. My wife commented on a recent show at MOCA Cleveland, “This art is created for other artists. Unless conversant in the minutia of contemporary art, most people will have a limited ability to appreciate and understand the pieces.” It is easy to see her point. Art, like fashion is more difficult to comprehend, especially as it becomes more conceptual. We live in a real world. Homes are not conceptual, or are they?

Frank Gehry and his patron, Peter B Lewis spent ten years and millions of dollars conceiving a home for businessman Lewis that was ultimately never built. In a conversational lecture I attended with the two, both expressed satisfaction with the project. Both “got what they wanted” from the exercise. For most people, a multi-million dollar, unbuilt home is not the end result expected when commissioning an architect. For the rarified few, conceptual can be enough.

Has fashion moved to a point of exclusion so advanced that it cannot be relative or of influence to products that will be used in homes and residences? The Met Gala and its ilk is of value to so few people I feel we are very close to that point.

So What Do I Do?

There are some overriding threads gleaned from recent fashion that do provide a glimpse from which I might draw some thoughts.

  • There are some post-streetwear rejections peeking for daylight. Is it possible that we might elevate our fashion game and dress-up again? It happened before. The Disco Era followed the Hippie Era and women turned to frilly dresses and men donned suits, albeit leisure, again.
  • There is a more fluid nature to color and patterns. Floral prints are used on menswear and herringbone suiting fabrics are showing up in dresses and blouses.
  • Clothes are simply becoming more and more asexual. With larger percentages of young people identifying as non-binary, options beyond non-sexual jeans make sense.

Could these mean we will see more formal homes in the future? Will there be more experimentation with color? Is there life after beige neutrals? Does a non-binary population relate to more flex spaces in a residence?

In short, I don’t know…yet. For the foreseeable future, I’ll continue to read about the assorted seasonal collections, watch the runway recaps on YouTube and file the photos I see for the next season in my mind’s hard drive. With enough information over an extended period of time, the relevance will become clearer and clearer…hopefully.

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Lighting Commentary

BDNY, ICFF, LightFair, KBIS, IBS and the Evolving Trade Show World

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The first time I attended BDNY I found it a waste of time. It was small and there was very little of value to draw me back. I never went again. Jump ahead to a post-pandemic world and one of my favorite shows, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) combined with BDNY in 2021 to put on a better-than-expected presentation. The subsequent solo ICFF, earlier this year, was a bit of a letdown which led me to wonder if BDNY had become a more valuable asset. I decided to attend the solo BDNY and while not as powerful as the combined 2021 effort, it was worth the trip.

A similar thing occurred at the first LightFair I attended. A few years later, Energy Efficiency and LED jumped into the public conscience and the industry enjoyed a decade of relevant, informative and engaging shows. Now, with LED aging into “old news” the value of the show is shrinking.

My first KBIS was a revelation. I learned so much and experienced so many things, I could not wait for the next year. Unfortunately, the value has been reduced every year since. Whole categories of goods disappeared, major manufacturers dropped out and new products and ideas were eliminated for fear of being “knocked-off” by budget-priced competitors and trolling attendees with newfangled phone-cameras.

By contrast, the European shows have somehow been able to maintain their value. Shows are bigger and longer, spaces are not a collection of boilerplate “popup” displays that all look the same. New ideas have been shown consistently and the staff has remained at a high professional level (Suits and dresses [remember them?] are worn, a very minimal amount of faces are buried in mobile phones.) They remain attend-worthy and younger professionals as well as old vets are very much present, unlike the boomer-centric shows of America.

This is the perfect time to toss the whole concept in the air and allow the pieces to land in a newly configured way. I am aware that many groups derive much of their financial base from the shows they sponsor and are reluctant to change. Change, nonetheless will be required, because attendance is and will continue to dwindle. As the great actor, Yaphet Kotto says in the 1975 movie, “Sharks’ Treasure,” “Fifty percent of nothin’ is nothing, man!” They can continue to own all of a shrinking extant, or less of a growing alternative.

As the world attempts to recapture two years of lost trade shows, some major rethinking must be undertaken. When the International Builder’s Show (IBS) combined with the Kitchen & Bath Show (KBIS) they bought themselves an additional decade of relevance. I’m sure, even they are starting to consider where they head now. Huge pockets of their relevant industries are still missing from the combination. Are there other shows that can be corralled to present an even bigger bang? LightFair is moving to a biennial schedule, similar to many major European shows. This should make it more of an “event” and grab a few more people. That might help for a few years. It is time for BDNY, ICFF and perhaps a handful of other smaller shows (the un-resurrected ADHDS, NY Now?) to coalesce and present a show that creative professionals can really use. Continuing to deliver halfhearted efforts will result in a continuation of attendees forgoing them completely.

I know I have written about the need for trade show change before. I have no “dog in this fight” other than twenty-five years of experience. For years, I was paid to attend these shows and relate the observations. As I see less and less to report, attendance becomes less and less important. It is harder and harder for me to recommend attendance. Deep down inside, I want them to be better with continued relevance. The vibe in a room filled with creative people cannot be replicated online. Even with poor results, I still feel somewhat more energized when I return to work.

Perhaps, we are destine to watch these shows melt. The deck is stacked. The internet, online catalogs, online visual influencers, a “stay-at-home” pandemic, work from home employment and a new generation of workers with slight face-to-face socialization skills may be too overwhelming for this old-school concept to survive. We baby-boomers have only a few years or relevance left. If that is the case, I wonder what is next. I suspect we’ll all need to stay tuned.

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Lighting Commentary

Sustainability Part 3 – How Am I Going to Make This Work?

Charles and Ray Eames, La Chaise

Imagine you are Ben Watson. The world of offices has changed and he sits atop the Herman Miller – Knoll merger. Will people return to an office? Will offices disappear completely? Can his company survive? What do you do? What products will be needed in this new world?

Watson holds a degree in visual and environmental studies from Harvard and spent years in product development and marketing for Knoll. His senior thesis explored La Chaise, the modern-classic chair with a white molded polyurethane seat and crossed wooden feet designed by Charles and Ray Eames. Like all designers, he is uniquely qualified to solve a problem he had not anticipated. It is in fact why we have designers. Designers solve problems that most people find confounding.

Like Watson and office furniture, lighting is now shifting. An increased desire for sustainability is leading to pushback of disposable luminaires. Renewables are overshadowing replacements. As a result, a complete rethinking of how we illuminate our spaces must now occur.

In the first part of this sustainability blog-triumvirate I indicated that fewer decorative lighting products would be employed in the future. In part two, I talked about the ways in which the industry must step up to meet the needs of the new sustainable consumer. Figuring out how to put it all together in a way that is aesthetically pleasing now falls to the designer.

When to Feature Decorative Lighting

If we are going to use less decorative lighting and most of the decorative lighting on the market will deliver fewer lumens, not because of the substandard capabilities of LED, but because of the forms in which the LED is placed, then we must choose wisely. A five light chandelier equipped with five, 60 watt incandescent light bulbs delivered about 4000 lumens of light. Because the diffusers were large enough to cover a medium-based lamp, almost all of that light was usable. 4000 lumens of light was plenty for most dining rooms, dinettes and bedrooms. While many of the newer LED luminaires might promise 4000 lumens, it may be delivered in a slightly different way. It might be more directional, it might be concentrated in an oblique pattern or, it may obscured or simply used as an aesthetic element rather than a functional lighting machine. To make this work, the designer must be more comfortable with the overall lumen demands of a room or space.

With that in mind, the functional lighting must deliver almost all of the needed light in the space. Any illumination provided by the decorative product will likely be icing.

There are guidelines that help us determine optimal light levels for every room in a residence. There are also easy ways to use this information. Below is a chart that provides optimal light levels for each space.

Area / TaskDesired Illuminance Level in Footcandles (Fc)
Hallway/Passageway5-10
Conversation Area / Entertaining5-20
Dining10-20
Reading (General)20-50
Bathroom / Grooming20-50
Laundry / Ironing20-50
Kitchen (General)20-50
Kitchen (Work Areas)50-100
Reading (difficult) Study / Hobby / Music50-100
Hand Sewing / Detail Hobby100-200

To use this information, simple calculate the room or space area (Length multiplied by width) and multiply it by the desired footcandle level. The result will provide the needed lumens.

Length x width x footcandle = minimum Lumens needed for the room

Let’s assume we have a 12’-0” x 12’-0” dining room. 12 x 12 = 144 x 10 = 1440. 12 x 12 x 20 = 2880. That means the minimum amount of light should produce between 1440 and 2880 lumens.

When you think about that 5-light chandelier at 4000 lumens, or even a classic Williamsburg-type 10-light chandelier with candelabra lamps (280 lumens x 10 = 2800 total lumens.) incandescent provided very usable amounts of light for a dining room. We now need to think about it, just a bit more.

A New Way Forward

Let’s put the chandelier on the back-burner initially. The important thing to understand is decorative lighting will not and likely cannot provide all of the needed light. It should represent a declining percentage of the total demand for a sustainable future. How might that be delivered? Consider this.

Recessed cans around the perimeter might be a starting point. On a smaller room like this, think about one in each corner. Using a typical LED version, 650 lumens each will be provided. Now, consider an illuminated tray, or perhaps cove lighting. Somewhere between 48 linear feet of LED Tape (cove,) or as little as 32 linear feet (tray.) There are many LED Tape options. I’ll use an average of 200 lumens per foot. That will deliver between 6400 (tray) and 9600 (cove) lumens. Keep in mind, this is indirect light, so that might seem high, but will be very usable and acceptable. With the corner lights and tray lighting, the needed amount is met. These are sustainable choices and will have no impact on the style choice of the room, modern or tradition or anything in-between.

Decorative lighting can now be added. The amount of light provided will be unimportant. These then become aesthetic choices. Include them, or don’t. They will add light, but will not bear the bulk of the illuminance burden.

Now, simply repeat this with the other lighting in the other areas of the house.

LED lighting is different light, but it has also allowed designers and engineers to create more interesting and better luminaires. That means as design practitioners, we will need to take a few added steps to insure quality lighting is delivered in the space. As more sustainable environments are demanded, this added step will be needed.

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Lighting Commentary

Sustainability Part 2 – Can Lighting Be Sustainable?

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If like me, you always check out trend predictions, wherever and from whomever they emerge, you are seeing a reoccurring mention of sustainable products. I am constantly questioned about sustainability. Designers are hearing the request and like a canary in a coalmine, they are often the first to recognize a shift. As I pointed out in the first part of this series [link] there will be changes in our application of light. Nonetheless, the disposable nature of a heretofore endlessly reusable luminaire, continues to trouble designers, users and sustainability proponents. “There has to be a better way!” is a very common comment.

I realized this is not a problem exclusive to lighting as I read about Golden Goose, a Milan-based manufacturer of high-end casual footwear. [The New York Times (August 7, 2022) “Don’t Toss Those Old Sneakers” by Laura Rysman. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/09/style/golden-goose-sneaker-repair.html?smid=url-share ] Like lighting, once a pair of sneakers is “worn out” they are unceremoniously tossed and replaced. In an effort to extend the life of the sneaker, they are offering bespoke repairs. The problem, as few as five years ago, is that there was no such thing as sneaker repair. Because of the typical manufacturing process, the sole could not be removed from the top, so an entirely different methodology was required. By considering the classic construction method of formal shoes, a new sneaker assembly process was created that allows for the teardown and repair. While not inexpensive, their sneakers can now be repaired and reused, almost endlessly.

LED longevity makes them the perfect light source for new sustainability demand, but they sit on the edge of some shaky foundations, much like the typical vulcanized rubber sole that encases a sneaker top and precluded disassembly. We discussed aesthetic trends in the previous post. There are three additional problems that must be addressed to increase the sustainability of LED lighting.

Driver Longevity

When a LED luminaire fails, it is most likely because of driver malfunction or some sort of circuit interruption. In the industry’s quest to achieve lower costs, corners have been cut in this all-important, albeit hidden, component. Quite simply, to have a more sustainable product, better built drivers and circuitry components are required.

Proof of Longevity

LED longevity is a predicted “guess” based on calculated performance characteristics. Basically, if the system lasts for X hours, testers feel comfortable projecting that it will last 6X hours. Tests of 10,000 hours (maximum) will allow a manufacture to promise the product will last 60,000 hours. One of the reasons we cannot go much farther is because 10,000 hours is a long time! After 14 months of testing, there is a very good likelihood that a newer, better model of LED is on the market and the cycle must be started anew. Most manufactures test for 6000 hours, allowing a promise of 36,000 hour lifespan and consuming only 8 ½ months of time, still a considerable length. Some sort of accelerated testing and performance affirmation is needed.

Repair

Incandescent luminaires are like a pair of leather brogues, we can change light bulbs as easily as shoelaces. Resoling is however another thing entirely and must be completed by a cobbler. A repair professional is usually needed to replace sockets or broken chandelier arms. LED lighting becomes closer to the conventional sneaker, nearly impossible to rebuild, even by a pro, unless you rethink the entire process. That, I believe is where the luminaire manufactures are today. To meet the sustainability expectations of the near future, they must plot out a path to luminaire repair.

This might be realized in a number of different ways. Perhaps some companies can easily adapt their business to include a repair service. We might also see LED luminaire repair shops popping up around the country. We could also see lighting retailers adding LED repairs to their list of luminaire services. Only real demand will tell the tale.

“It’s Gotta Be the Shoes!”*

To meet the needs of a sustainable future, electronic repairs will need to be more common. We might see the return of TV repairmen, small appliance repairs and people who specialize in fixing our much more technological environment.

By their own admission, Golden Goose is not seeing a positive ROI on repairs. Knowing repairs are possible is however, turning out to be a substantial selling point for this expensive footwear. I think that might turn out to be the case with lighting, too. The lighting will last longer than most people expected. There will be fewer breakdowns than anticipated. The newness of LED will wear-off and failure expectations will be reduced because it is an effortless product. When needed, there will be some avenues available for resolution, even if they are not ultimately used. That may satiate the consumer.

In a 1988 Nike commercial, Mars Blackmon (a comedic avatar of Spike Lee) tried to explain the god-like moves of Michael Jordan on a basketball court. Discounting every other conceivable option, he reached the conclusion, “It’s gotta be the shoes!” despite the objections of Mr. Jordan. (If you’re not a basketball fan, Michael Jordan was an excellent player, probably even in bare feet.) Offering repairs when they might be of minimal real value, just might be the sustainable aspect we’ve convinced ourselves we need, just like the illusion worked for Mars.

*Mars Blackmon – 1988 Nike commercial with Michael Jordan and Spike Lee

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Lighting Commentary

Sustainability Part 1 – More Utilitarian, Less Decorative – The Future of Lighting

2009 SAAB 9-3 Convertible – The original sustainable vehicle?

I drive a 2009 SAAB 9-3 Convertible. This is, without question the best car I have ever owned and despite its age, still looks great. I purchased this car a few months prior to SAAB exiting the automobile business. I never owned a SAAB prior, but I quickly found out that there is a joyful cult surrounding current and former SAAB owners. When the closure of the manufacturer was announced, fellow SAAB owners would pull up next to me, open their window and ask, “What are we going to do?” I learned that many SAAB owners were SAAB owners for life. Like me, they liked the solid, dependable build and the quirky stylings that made the design impervious to trends, fads and the constant waves of the “next best thing.”

For the last few years, I have been predicting a lighting “future world” where fewer decorative lighting products are used and more (much more) functional lighting products will be installed in residential spaces. We will still have centerpiece items featured in dining rooms, over multiple areas in the kitchen and foyers, but the rest of the home will see lighting hidden in, over, behind, inside and below architectural elements in the room. Like recessed cans, lighting will be indirect, easy to use and impervious to the stylistic shifts that are inevitable in the home furnishings industry. Product that forgoes style fads, like my SAAB will maintain relevance farther into the future than flash-in-the-pan ideas.

Why is This Occurring?

Because of the rapid adoption of LED technology, a couple of things have occurred. First, the LED diode is small. Very small. This has allowed for the development of tiny functional light. LED Tape has, in just a few years, become a ubiquitous method of lighting. It is filling trays, coves, toekicks, cabinets and over-cabinet areas. It is very fairly priced, has proven to last for a long time and the lumen output options are many. Versions of LED Tape are also finding their way into integrated luminaires. Designers are taking advantage of the tiny size and reimagining decorative lighting.

LED diodes are expected to last between 40,000 to 50,000 hours. Operating six hours a day, that calculates to somewhere between 18 and 24 years! When the average luminaire is replaced every 7-10 years, it is easy to see that the viability is not matching demand. We can and will use functional products longer, because they have no impact on aesthetics. They will last over three or four home remodels before replacement is needed.

Sustainability is of growing concern to the consumer. It is more important right now to the younger buyer, but those customers will be around for many more years and their peak spending years on home furnishings are starting now and will rise as we move into the future. As this group mature and younger people age into home ownership, it is predicted their demand for sustainability will NOT disappear. Products removed and replaced long before their end of life will not jell with a sustainably conscious consumer. Knowing that 75% to 90% of the lighting could last longer and perhaps only one or two luminaires would need to be replaced due to a dated appearance, will be much more palatable. These new realities will change how designers interact with customers and together how they interact with lighting.

Meanwhile, Back On the Road

A constant question or comment shouted from other drivers to me centers around longevity.

“How many miles does your car have?”

“What year is that?”

“I drove my [fill in the year and/or model of their SAAB] for [fill-in a HUGE quantity of miles]”

SAAB owners know that timeless design allows them to ignore trends. They will receive the benefit of great performance and extended years of use because the engineering is solid. LED is earning the same reputation. Early on, people worried about what would happen when the LED “burned out.” They are finding that it just doesn’t happen that often. My “ALL LED” kitchen has been humming along for fourteenth year with nary a problem. It is not an anomaly.

To fully take advantage of this longevity, a shift is occurring. More indirect light, more functional light. More utilitarian light. A greater reliance on recessed lighting. Fewer decorative pieces. This change makes sense for the room, the ecologically sensitive consumer and perhaps more importantly, the planet. As designers, we need to make this work aesthetically. Trust me. That is the easy part. Reducing landfill. That’s the tough one.

143,130 miles…and counting.