How innovative lighting technology affects the way you think, feel, act

Modern lighting solutions are undergoing a dramatic change, with Panasonic’s cutting-edge technologies at the forefront of the revolution.

It’s a well-known fact that the lighting in our environment has a significant impact on our well-being.

Research has unearthed compelling evidence about the myriad ways that lighting conditions affect us, such as its effect on our body’s circadian rhythm, the disruption of which not only affects our quality of sleep, but also the secretion of hormones critical to regulating our emotions.

Moreover, light has also been found to boost productivity and reduce fatigue, decrease anxiety, regulate our energy levels, manage our metabolism and even possibly lower our blood pressure. In short, light plays an incredibly important function in human physiology and psychology.

Yet despite the overwhelming evidence, it wasn’t until recently that lighting technologies were developed to take into account how it made people feel.

An enhanced approach to lighting design

The current conventional index used to measure brightness is ‘illuminance’, the amount of light striking a surface. However, this is a flawed indication of what is actually conveyed to the human eye. The ‘luminance’ of an object – or the total amount of light emitted from a surface – varies dramatically to our sight.

For instance, we recognise a white surface to be much brighter than a black one, even if both receive the same amount of light. Similarly, to our eyes, a glossy surface emits more light than a matte one of the exact same shade even if both surfaces are directly under the same source of light.

To measure the true effect of lighting in a human environment, Panasonic developed Feu, a new index that allows holistic measurement of light in order to quantify the human sense of brightness. Simply put, Feu now makes it possible to express in concrete terms how the lighting setup in any environment will realistically be perceived by human occupants – a prediction that could not be achieved with illuminance.

By assigning a numerical value to the way the human eye analyses light, Feu enables architects and interior designers to create an environment that appears well lit without having to install more light sources than necessary. This new approach allows the design of a comfortable space that feels naturally appealing, while simultaneously minimising energy consumption.

Creating stylish and comfortable environments in modern homes

Having incorporated Feu into the design of its extensive line-up of LED lighting products, Panasonic is well placed to revolutionise the global lighting industry.

With human comfort, long-term reliability and beauty in our living environment as central focuses, Panasonic’s lighting solutions are rapidly being adopted across several countries. In Southeast Asia, where markets such as Vietnam experience chronic shortages in electricity and Indonesia, where households have to meet energy-saving targets, Panasonic’s eco-friendly LED lights are especially valued for achieving energy savings of 50 per cent or more when compared to older fluorescent lighting.

Homeowners, city planners, architects and property developers can now access an innovative range of lighting solutions that promise an upgrade to their environment – in style, comfort and sustainability. Make no mistake, the future of modern lighting has arrived.

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