A new book by lighting designer Michael Stiller, Quality Lighting for High Performance Buildings, addresses how to keep energy use down and interior environments looking their best.
According to Stiller, in the United States buildings consume 40% of all primary energy, 72% of all electricity, and are responsible for 39% of all CO2 emissions. Indoor lighting accounts for a large portion of this, and we sorely need to develop better, more efficient systems to illuminate our homes, institutions, and places of commerce. But as we push for greater efficiencies and reduced life-cycle impacts, and as new green construction codes and standards are adopted, it is imperative that we avoid sacrificing good lighting design that enhances our productivity, our comfort, and our health. With this in mind, Michael Stiller provides an overview of the basics of quality indoor lighting, and explains concepts like visual comfort, visual interest, and integrated design. Energy efficient lighting technologies, including LED lighting and digital control systems, and design strategies that increase visual comfort and productivity are discussed in plain language, and examined in a straightforward way to give the reader, whether an architect, interior designer, engineer, building trades professional, or student, a broad understanding of the art and science of energy efficient quality lighting.
The book is available in March 2012 and can be purchased at Amazon.com.