Occupant use of switching and dimming controls in offices

Abstract

As part of a larger study sponsored by the Light Right Consortium, temporary office workers spent a day in an office working under one of four different lighting installations. For two of these installations the office workers had the freedom to adjust the lighting of the cubicles they occupied: either with a switchable desk lamp, or varying the direct component of a continuously dimmable overhead direct/indirect luminaire. This paper examines the illuminances chosen under these two conditions, compares the results with those found in other field and laboratory studies, and addresses pertinent questions about the behaviour of office workers when they have the freedom to adjust the lighting of their workspaces.