How to increase natural lighting in the apartment. Natural room lighting. Basic strategies. Use window structures with increased light transmission

Depending on the nature of the source of light energy, there are natural, artificial and combined lighting.

Basic lighting requirements

The main task of the rational organization of lighting is to maintain illumination corresponding to the nature of visual work. An increase in illumination improves the visibility of objects by increasing their brightness, and increases the speed of distinguishing details. When organizing lighting, it is necessary to ensure a uniform distribution of brightness. Looking from a brightly lit to a dimly lit surface forces the eye to readjust, leading to visual fatigue. Combined lighting is used to increase the uniformity of natural lighting in large rooms. The light color of the ceiling and walls contributes to a uniform distribution of brightness in the field of view. Lighting should ensure that there are no harsh shadows in the field of view. The presence of sharp shadows distorts the size and shape of objects and thus increases fatigue. Particularly harmful are moving shadows, which can lead to injury. Shadows should be softened by using, for example, lamps with diffused glass; in natural light, sun protection devices should be used. To improve the visibility of objects, there should be no direct and reflected glare. Glitter is an increased brightness of luminous surfaces, causing a violation of visual functions (dazzle), i.e. deterioration in the visibility of objects. Glitter is limited by a decrease in the brightness of light sources, the correct choice of the protective angle of the luminaire, an increase in the height of the suspension of luminaires, and the correct direction of the luminous flux. Where possible, shiny surfaces should be replaced with matte ones. Illumination fluctuations in the workplace, caused, for example, by a sharp change in the mains voltage, cause re-adaptation of the eye, leading to significant fatigue. The constancy of illumination over time is achieved by stabilizing the supply voltage, rigid fastening of lamps, and the use of special circuits for switching on gas-discharge lamps. When organizing lighting, you should choose the required spectral composition of the light flux. This requirement is especially essential to ensure correct color reproduction, and in some cases to enhance color contrasts. Optimal spectral composition provides natural light. All these requirements are taken into account by the current design standards and rules for the operation of lighting in rooms and in open spaces.

Basic lighting indicators and values

As a result of the transformation of energy supplied to bodies, in particular thermal or electrical energy, under certain conditions, electromagnetic radiation arises, quantitatively characterized by power - a radiant flux. That part of the radiant stream, which is perceived by human vision as light, is called luminous flux F and is measured in lumens, lm.

The luminous flux can be differently distributed in space. The intensity of its radiation in any direction is characterized by by the power of lightI , determined by the ratio of the luminous flux to the solid angle , within which light propagates

In turn, the solid angle is determined by the ratio of the area S, cut out by him from a sphere of arbitrary radius R, to the square of the radius

The total solid angle of the space surrounding the point is 4 sr (steradian), the solid angle of each of the hemispheres, upper and lower, is 2 sr. The unit of light intensity is the candela (cd). Candela is the luminous flux in lumens emitted by a point source in a solid angle of 1 sr, lm/sr. the concept of luminous intensity is applicable only to point sources, the dimensions of which are small compared to the distance to them.

Schematic representation of lighting units

Falling to the surface S, light flow F creates it illuminationE , determined by the relation

The unit of illumination is lux, lx. This is the illumination of a surface with an area of ​​1 m 2 with a luminous flux of 1 lm, lm / m 2. The illumination of a surface does not depend on its light properties. Visual perception is mainly determined brightnessIN uniformly luminous flat surface with an area of ​​1 m 2 in a direction perpendicular to it at a light intensity of 1 cd. That's why

The unit of brightness is cd / m 2. The brightness of illuminated surfaces depends on their luminous properties, the degree of illumination, and in most cases also on the angle at which the surface is viewed.

Light and visual information about the surrounding world, perceived by the human eye, are transmitted through the optic nerve to the brain, in which a subjective visual image is formed. The main indicators of eye performance are contrast, visual acuity, discrimination probability, time of visual perception, field of view and glare.

To distinguish objects by a person, first of all, the difference between the brightness of the object and the background is necessary, i.e. contrast. Quantitatively, contrast is defined as the ratio of the difference between the brightness of an object and the background to the brightness of the object (background)

The optimal brightness value is considered to be 0.6 - 0.9.

Normal visibility of objects depends on the angular dimensions of the objects, discrimination, exposure time and the probability of discrimination. The characteristic of the spatial threshold of vision is visual acuity. It is determined by the reciprocal of the minimum dimensions of the object at which it is distinguishable by the eye. The dimensions of an object are expressed in angular units, which are related by the relation

Where - the angular size of the object of distinction; h - the linear size of the object; l- the distance from the eyes to the object.

In people with normal vision, the threshold of visual acuity at normal brightness corresponds to approximately 1. The optimal conditions for distinguishing objects will be at  30  40.

In addition to additional illumination, there are other ways to increase the level of illumination to the required level for plants. Where there is a small shortage of lighting, with their help, for many crops, you can also replace the lighting itself, and where there is very little light in autumn and winter, you can save a little by reducing the number of lamps themselves or reducing the duration of their inclusion.

The main of these methods is the placement of reflectors, which have already been briefly mentioned above. Recall what light itself is, regardless of its source: it is a stream of quanta emitted in a certain direction. Some surfaces (dark) almost completely absorb it, as if absorbing it, turning light energy into heat, while others (white and even more mirrored), on the contrary, reflect - the flow, having repelled from them, simply changes direction, and thus In this way, the plant can also receive it from the side opposite to the light source. At the same time, if the reflector is curved, diffused lighting can be collected instead of a wide stream into a narrower and more intense one.

The simplest (although not the most effective) daylight reflector is an ordinary white curtain that separates a box or tub of plants from a room. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to block the light for yourself - you can pull it in the morning before leaving for work and open it when you return home.

Even more effective as a reflector are blinds with a shiny metal surface. By metal here we mean not so much the actual material as the color, in this respect it can be conditionally equated to metal, for example, plastic painted with silver, although, of course, the more shiny this surface is, the more effective the reflector itself will be. A very good flat reflector, by the way, is a smooth foil. And if you put a mirror between the room and the plants, the effect will be even more noticeable.

In exactly the same way, surrounding the lamp with a reflector of the appropriate shape (curved, allowing you to concentrate the rays) and placing another flat reflector (the same white curtain or blinds) behind the plant in the evening, you will significantly increase the efficiency of artificial lighting.

Glass cleanliness also plays a significant role in providing plants with natural light. The dust settling on them from the side of the street traps and disperses Sun rays, therefore, if you grow any light-loving plant, the windows near which it is located should be washed more often. How much more often - depends on how quickly they will become dusty (in other words, on the conditions on the street).

In addition, preventive "light baths" can be arranged for plants, temporarily moving them one by one as close as possible to the lighting fixtures.

And finally, if in your conditions it is difficult to provide sufficient additional lighting for one reason or another, or if there is not enough light, despite all your efforts, the harmful effect of lack of illumination on plants can be partially compensated by spraying the plant with a 0.2% sucrose solution (t e. unrefined sugar).

Based on the book by Tsvetkova M.V. "Garden on the window and balcony"

Daylight, as the most natural for our perception, is vital: it is known that in a bright room it is easier to breathe and the mood improves. How to increase the amount of natural light in the apartment? The easiest way is to add windows. This is the advice you often see in different sources. But most of us live in typical buildings, so we'll leave this method to those who are designing their own home. And for owners of apartments in ready-made houses, we have other ideas.

1. Free up space around windows

Whether there are one or ten windows in your room, you can increase the amount of light that enters it. To do this, you need to free up space in front of the window. Ideally, it should be visible from anywhere in the room. Also make sure that bulky furniture does not prevent light from entering the room. Leave only small flower pots on the windowsill.

Opt for separate shelves rather than closed bookcases - the light will pass through them freely. Tables with glass tops, chairs with narrow legs, glass doors on cabinets will help achieve the same effect. It is easy to understand whether the object will prevent the penetration of light into the apartment: the less shadows from it, the better.

2. Place Mirrors and Reflective Surfaces

And other reflective surfaces can greatly increase the amount of light in your apartment. For greater effect, place mirrors on the east and west walls. Track how the light moves around the room, and place reflective surfaces on these "paths". Such surfaces can be acrylic materials, shiny tiles, glass, brass, gold or silver - from door handles to photo frames.

3. Hang light curtains on east and west windows

The problem with windows facing east and west is that blinding light passes through them in the morning or evening. Use curtains during this time, but do not block light from entering other hours. Give preference to curtains made of light flowing materials, preferably light.

4. Consider colors

The feeling of light in the apartment, of course, depends on what colors you use. Give preference light colors when choosing furniture or thinking about what color to paint walls, especially those farthest from windows. Dark floors can be made lighter with rugs or paint. If the soul asks to paint the walls in dark colors, despite the insufficient amount of daylight, paint! But make the floor and ceiling light. And vice versa, if you can’t do without a dark ceiling or floor, save the day with the help of light walls.

5. Wash windows

Sometimes the most simple solutions- the best. Dust and dirt on the windows can interfere with the penetration of light into the apartment. This is especially true if you live close to the road. So wash inside windows at least once a month, and external - at least twice a year.

6. Add Local Lights

To extend the time that natural light reigns in the room and you can do without the main lighting, add light where it is needed - for example, above the work surface in the kitchen. They will supplement natural light when it already becomes insufficient.

7. Get rid of the doors

If you can't or don't want to redevelop your apartment, this trick will help lighten up the space. Get rid of doors that are an obstacle to entry sunlight to the apartment. A less drastic way is to replace the doors with ones that have glass inserts. Where possible, install glass sliding partitions.

Whatever strategy you choose, a window cannot be the only source of light in an apartment. To provide at other times, you will need lamps. Happiness experts, the Danes also recommend placing larger houses, which give a more familiar and pleasant light to the eye.

Photo: bjurfors.se, hbu.h-cdn.co, decoist.com, pinimg.com, homecaprice.com, bazzar.hr, home.wclindsay.com, streaterforschoolboard.org

Good afternoon, colleagues!

Imagine a situation. The facility has been in operation for over 3 years. The illumination on it is in the region of 200 lux, while the standard is 300. It is desirable to bring the illumination to 500 lux.

How to increase the illumination of the room by 300 units so that it is comfortable to work and at the same time it would be possible to pass a technical check:

First of all, you should wipe the ceiling lamps from dust and dirt. lighting fixtures. In production, it is easily covered with soot and oil, in commercial premises- dust. This will add about 30% of the illumination.

Check lamps. Replace those that are burned out and those that give little light. This will increase the illumination by another third.

It often happens that the arrangement of furniture on the site changes, and some lamps can be directly above the racks or the showcase, illuminating the wrong place. If our company works at the facility, then we optimize the placement of fixtures. Moving them will add about 20% more illumination.


What to do if the authorities set the task to urgently save electricity?

In budgetary organizations, the task was set to save 15% of electricity annually. How to accomplish such a task if no one will give money for re-equipment?

First of all, you can turn off several lamps if the total illumination does not go beyond the norm. This will give 15 to 20% savings.

Motion sensors should be installed in the premises. If the students left the audience for a break, then the light turned off for 15 minutes. This will give another 10% savings.

If possible, dimmable switches should be installed. During the day, the light can be dimmed, which will give another savings of 10-15%.

All this will allow you to save a little, but this is a temporary solution. Your lamps still degrade, burn out, chokes start to act up. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of room illumination, it is necessary to install high-quality LED lamps, their prices are decreasing every day and now they are comparable to their outdated counterparts.

In this part, we talk about calculating the power of lamps, practical measurement of illumination, etc.

In the previous parts, we talked about the basic concepts and about various types lamps used to illuminate plants. This part talks about which lighting system to choose, how many lamps are needed to illuminate a particular plant, how to measure the illumination at home, and why reflectors are needed in lighting systems.

Light is one of the most important factors successful maintenance of the plant. Through photosynthesis, plants "make food" for themselves. Little light - the plant is weakened and either dies of "starvation" or becomes easy prey for pests and diseases.

To be or not to be

So you've decided to install a new lighting system for your plants. First of all, answer two questions.

  • What is your budget limit? If there is a small amount of money allocated for the entire lighting system that you have taken away from the scholarship, and you need to meet it, then this article will not help you. The only advice is to buy what you can. Don't waste your time and energy searching. Unfortunately, a lighting system for plants or for an aquarium is not cheap. Sometimes a smarter alternative is to replace light-loving plants with shade-tolerant ones - it is better to have a well-groomed spathiphyllum that does not require a lot of light than to lament because of a half-dead gardenia, which is sorely lacking.
  • Are you going to just switch over until spring, according to the principle “not to fat, to be alive”? Then just buy the simplest fluorescent lamp. If you want your plants to fully grow and even bloom under the lamps, then you need to spend energy and money on the lighting system. Especially if you grow plants that all year round grow in conditions of artificial lighting, for example, aquarium.

If you have decided on the answers to these questions and decided to install a complete lighting system, then read on.

What is good lighting

Three main factors determine whether a lighting system is good or bad:

  • light intensity. Light should be enough for plants. Weak light cannot be replaced by long daylight hours. Lots of light in room conditions can not be. It is quite difficult to achieve illumination, which happens on a bright sunny day (more than 100 thousand Lx).
  • Light duration. Various plants require daylight hours of varying lengths. Many processes, such as flowering, are determined by the length of daylight hours (photoperiodism). Everyone has seen the red poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) sold at Christmas and New Year. This bush grows under our window in south Florida and every year in winter, without tricks on our part, "does it all" - we have what is needed for the formation of red bracts - long dark nights and bright sunny days.
  • Lighting quality. In previous articles, I touched on this issue, saying that the plant needs light in both the red and blue regions of the spectrum. As already mentioned, it is not necessary to use special fitolamps - if you use modern lamps with a wide spectrum, for example, compact fluorescent or metal halide, then your spectrum will be “correct”.

In addition to these factors, there are certainly others that are important. The intensity of photosynthesis is limited by what is lacking at the moment. In low light, this is light, when there is a lot of light, then, for example, temperature or carbon dioxide concentration, etc. When growing aquarium plants, it often happens that with strong light, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the water becomes a limiting factor and stronger light does not lead to an increase in the rate of photosynthesis.

How much light do plants need

Plants can be divided into several groups according to their light requirements. The numbers for each of the groups are quite approximate, since many plants can do well both in bright light and in the shade, adapting to the level of illumination. For the same plant, a different amount of light is needed depending on whether it develops vegetatively, blooms or bears fruit. From an energetic point of view, flowering is a process that wastes a lot of energy. A plant needs to grow a flower and supply it with energy, even though the flower itself does not produce energy. And fruiting is an even more wasteful process. The more light, the more energy "from the light bulb" the plant can store for flowering, the more beautiful your hibiscus will be, the more flowers there will be on the jasmine bush.

Below are some plants that prefer one or the other light conditions. The illumination level is expressed in lux. Lumens and lux have already been mentioned in. Here I will only repeat that lux characterizes how “light” the plants are, and lumens characterize the lamps with which you illuminate these plants.

  • Bright light. These plants include those that naturally grow in the open - most trees, palm trees, succulents, bougainvillea, gardenia, hibiscus, ixora, jasmine, plumeria, thunbergia, crotons, roses. These plants prefer high level lighting - at least 15-20 thousand lux, and some plants require 50 or more thousand lux for successful flowering. Most variegated plants require high light, otherwise the leaves may "return" to a solid color.
  • moderate light. These plants include "undergrowth" plants - bromeliads, begonias, ficus, philodendron, caladium, chlorophytum, brugmansia, brunfelsia, clerodendrum, crossandra, medinilla, pandorea, rutia, barleria, tibuhina. The desired level of illumination for them is 10-20 thousand lux.
  • weak light. The concept of "shade-loving plants" is not entirely true. All plants love light, including the dracaena standing in the darkest corner. It's just that some plants can grow (rather exist) in low light. If you do not chase the growth rate, then they will feel good in low light. Basically, these are plants of the lower tier - hamedorea, whitefeldia, anthurium, difenbachia, philodendron, spathiphyllum, echinanthus. They need from 5 to 10 thousand lux.

The light levels shown are approximate and can serve as a starting point for choosing a lighting system. I emphasize once again that these figures are for the full growth and flowering of the plant, and not for "wintering", when you can get by with a lower level of illumination.

Light measurement

So now you know how much light your plant needs and want to check if it is getting all it needs. All theoretical calculations are good, but it is better to measure the real illumination where the plants are. If you have a light meter, then you are in luck (pictured left). If there is no light meter, then do not despair. The exposure meter of the camera is the same luxmeter, but instead of illumination, it gives out shutter speed values, i.e. the amount of time to open the camera shutter. The lower the light, the longer the time. Everything is simple.

If you have an external light meter, then place it in the place where you measure the illumination, so that the photosensitive element is perpendicular to the direction of the light falling on the surface.

If you are using a camera, then lay a sheet of white matte paper perpendicular to the direction of the incident light (do not use glossy paper - it will give incorrect results). Choose a frame size so that the sheet fills the entire frame. It is not necessary to focus on it. Select film speed - 100 units (modern digital cameras allow you to "simulate" film speed). Use the shutter speed and aperture values ​​to determine the illumination in the table. If you set the value of the film sensitivity to 200 units, then the table values ​​\u200b\u200bmust be halved, if the value is set to 50 units, then the values ​​\u200b\u200bare doubled. Moving to the next higher f-number also doubles the values. In this way, you can roughly estimate the level of illumination where your plants stand.

Aperture

Excerpt

Illumination (lx) for film 100 units

External exposure meter

Camera when hovering over a piece of paper

2.8 1/4 70 8
2.8 1/8 140 15
2.8 1/15 250 30
2.8 1/30 500 60
2.8 1/60 1000 120
2.8 1/125 2100 240
2.8 1/250 4300 1000
2.8 1/500 8700 2000
4 1/250 8700 2000
4 1/500 17000 4000
5.6 1/250 17000 4000
5.6 1/500 35000 8000
5.6 1/1000 70000 16000
8 1/250 35000 8000
8 1/500 70000 16000
8 1/1000 140000 32000

Using a reflector

The use of a reflector allows you to increase the useful luminous flux several times

If you use a fluorescent lamp without a reflector, then you reduce the useful light by several times. As it is easy to understand, only the light that is directed downwards hits the plants. The light that is directed upwards is useless. The light that blinds your eyes when you look at an open lamp is also useless. A good reflector directs blinding light down onto the plants. The results of modeling a fluorescent lamp show that the illumination in the center, when using a reflector, increases almost three times, and the light spot on the surface becomes more concentrated - the lamp illuminates the plants, and not everything around.

Most fixtures sold in stores household appliances, does not have a reflector or has something that should not be called a reflector. Special systems for lighting plants or an aquarium with reflectors are very expensive. On the other hand, making a homemade reflector is easy.

How to make a homemade reflector for a fluorescent lamp

The shape of the reflector, especially for one or two lamps, is not of fundamental importance - any “good” shape, in which the number of reflections is no more than one and the return of light to the lamp is minimal, will have approximately the same efficiency within 10-15%. The figure shows a cross section of the reflector. It can be seen that its height should be such that all rays above the boundary (ray 1 in the figure) are intercepted by the reflector - in this case, the lamp will not blind the eyes.

Given the direction of the reflected boundary ray (for example, down or at an angle), you can build a perpendicular to the reflector surface at the reflection point (point 1 in the figure), which bisects the angle between the incident and reflected ray - the law of reflection. The perpendicular is determined in the same way at the remaining points (point 2 in the figure).

To check, it is recommended to take a few more points so that the situation depicted at point 3 does not turn out, where the reflected beam does not go down. After that, you can either make a polygonal frame, or build a smooth curve and bend the reflector according to the template. Do not place the top of the reflector close to the lamp, as the rays will fall back into the lamp. In this case, the lamp will heat up.

The reflector can be made either from aluminum foil, for example, food grade, which has a fairly high reflection. You can also paint the surface of the reflector with white paint. At the same time, its efficiency will be almost the same as for the "mirror" reflector. Be sure to make holes on top of the reflector for ventilation.

Duration and quality of lighting

In the photo: tomatoes grown under the light of various lamps. 1 - mercury lamp without filters, 2, 3 - mercury lamp with filters that remove different parts of the spectrum. 4 - incandescent lamp. From Bickford/Dunn "Lighting for Plant Growth" (1972)

The duration of lighting is usually 12-16 hours, depending on the type of plants. More precise data, as well as recommendations on photoperiodism (for example, on how to make the poinsettia mentioned above bloom) can be found in special literature. For most plants, the above figure is sufficient.

About the quality of lighting has already been said more than once. One of the illustrations is a photograph of plants grown under the illumination of a mercury lamp (a picture from an old book, at that time there were practically no other lamps) and an incandescent lamp. If you don't want long, skinny plants, then don't use incandescent or sodium lamps without additional illumination with blue-emitting fluorescent or HID lamps.

Among other things, plant lamps should illuminate the plants in such a way that they are pleasant to look at. A sodium lamp is not the best lamp for plants in this sense - the photo shows how plants look under such a lamp in comparison with metal halide lighting.

Lamp power calculation

So we come to the most important thing - how many lamps to take for lighting plants. Consider two lighting schemes: fluorescent lamps and a gas discharge lamp.

The number of fluorescent lamps can be determined by knowing the average level of illumination on the surface. It is necessary to find the luminous flux in lumens (by multiplying the illuminance in lux by the surface area in meters). Light loss is approximately 30% for a lamp hanging at a height of 30 cm from the plants, and 50% for lamps at a distance of 60 cm from the plants. This is true if you are using a reflector. Without it, losses increase several times. Having determined the luminous flux of the lamps, you can find their total power, knowing that fluorescent lamps give approximately 65 lm per watt of power.

For example, let's estimate how many lamps will be needed to illuminate a shelf 0.5×1 meter in size. Illuminated surface area: 0.5×1=0.5 sq.m. Let's say that we need to light plants that prefer moderate light (15000 Lx). It will be difficult to illuminate the entire surface with such illumination, so we will make an estimate based on the average illumination of 0.7 × 15000 = 11000 Lx by placing plants that require more light under a lamp where the illumination is above average.

Total, you need 0.5x11000=5500 Lm. Lamps at a height of 30 cm should give about one and a half times more light (losses are 30%), i.e. about 8250 lm. The total power of the lamps should be about 8250/65=125 W, i.e. two 55W compact fluorescent lamps with reflector provide just the right amount of light. If you want to put regular tubes of 40 W each, then you will need three or even four of them, since tubes placed close to each other begin to shield each other, and the efficiency of the lighting system drops. Try to use modern compact fluorescent lamps instead of conventional, mostly outdated, tubes. If you do not use a reflector, then in this scheme you will have to take three or four times as many lamps.

Calculation of the number of fluorescent lamps

  1. Choose a light level.
  2. Required luminous flux on the surface:
    L=0.7 x A x B
    (length and width in meters)
  3. Required luminous flux of lamps, taking into account losses (in the presence of a reflector):
    Lamp=L x C
    (C=1.5 for a lamp at a height of 30 cm and C=2 for a lamp at a height of 60 cm)
  4. Total lamp power:
    Power=Lamp/65

For gas discharge lamps, the calculation is similar. A special lamp with a 250 W sodium lamp provides an average illumination level of 15,000 lux on a site measuring 1 sq.m.

If the lighting parameters of the lamp are known, then it is quite simple to calculate the illumination. For example, from the figure on the left you can see that the lamp (OSRAM Floraset, 80W) illuminates a circle with a diameter of about a meter at a distance of just under half a meter from the lamp. The maximum illumination value is 4600 lx. Illumination to the edge falls off quickly enough, so this lamp can only be used for plants that do not need a lot of light.

The figure on the left shows the luminous intensity curve (same lamp as above). To find the illumination at a distance from the lamp, it is necessary to divide the value of the luminous intensity by the square of the distance. For example, at a distance of half a meter under the lamp, the illumination value will be 750/(0.5×0.5)=3000 Lx.

A very important point - the lamps should not overheat. As the temperature rises, their light output drops sharply. The reflector must have holes for cooling. If many fluorescent lamps are used, then a fan for cooling, such as a computer fan, should be used. Powerful discharge lamps usually have a built-in fan.

Conclusion

In this series of articles, various issues of plant lighting were considered. Many questions remained untouched, for example, the choice of the optimal electrical circuit for switching on lamps, which is important point. Those who are interested in this issue, it is better to turn to the literature or specialists.

The most rational scheme for designing a lighting system begins with determining the required level of illumination. Then you should evaluate the number of lamps and their type. And only after that - rush to the store to buy lamps.

Special thanks to the toptropicals.com site team for permission to publish the article on our resource.

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