At the recent TWR Conference 2024 held at Edinburgh Napier University, Kiia Einola, a doctoral researcher at Aalto University who collaborates with Helvar’s Future Lighting team, presented her pioneering research on the impact of hybrid work policies on lighting energy consumption in offices. This research is particularly relevant as many companies now navigate the post-pandemic shift to flexible work arrangements.

The Challenge: Dynamic Occupancy and Energy Wastage

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees transitioned to remote work, resulting in underutilised office spaces. As some companies now mandate dedicated office days, office occupancy has become more dynamic, leading to potential energy wastage from building systems, particularly lighting.

Why Lighting Control is Crucial for Hybrid Work Offices

Hybrid work policies create unique challenges for office energy management. Unlike traditional office setups where occupancy is relatively predictable, hybrid work schedules lead to fluctuating and often sparse occupancy. On quieter days, only a fraction of the office space is utilised, yet traditional area-based lighting systems illuminate entire floors or sections, resulting in significant energy wastage.

Effective lighting control becomes essential under these conditions to:

Reduce Energy Waste: By using granular control, where sensors in each luminaire respond to the actual presence of people, energy consumption is minimised in unoccupied areas.

Adapt to Variable Occupancy: Intelligent lighting solutions can adjust lighting conditions in real-time according to the varying number of occupants, ensuring that energy use aligns closely with actual office usage.

Enhance Employee Comfort and Productivity: Tailored lighting conditions can improve the work environment, making it more comfortable and conducive to productivity when employees are present.

Traditional vs. Granular Lighting Control

While some building systems can adjust themselves based on metrics like CO2 levels, lighting systems often remain energy-intensive due to the use of area sensors. Kiia’s research highlights the benefits of replacing these with sensors in each luminaire. This approach can significantly reduce energy consumption in sparsely populated office areas by responding more precisely to occupancy changes.

Research Findings

The study evaluated different hybrid work policies, including hybrid, structured hybrid, and in-person, based on occupancy data from two Finnish offices. The key findings are:

Energy Savings: Controlling luminaires individually resulted in energy savings across all scenarios compared to area control.

Dynamic Occupancy Impact: Decreased utilisation significantly lowered energy consumption in individual control in one site, while group control maintained stable consumption.

Constant Consumption: In the second office site, energy consumption remained steady across all scenarios, regardless of changes in occupancy or control methods.

These insights underscore the importance of granular lighting control in achieving energy efficiency in modern hybrid work environments.

The Implications for Future Office Design

Kiia’s research provides valuable insights into how intelligent lighting solutions can support sustainable office operations. By adapting to the flexible and often unpredictable occupancy patterns of hybrid work arrangements, these solutions can reduce energy waste and promote more efficient use of office spaces.

For a more detailed look at Kiia’s findings and the implications for office lighting, read Kiia’s research paper here.