By Andrew P. McCoy and Fred Sargent
Published On March 15, 2022

Americans spend more time inside buildings than some whale species spend underwater, according to Rich Corsi, dean of engineering and computer science at Portland State University. Imagine that.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that percentage has likely increased.

The subject of healthy buildings leads us to identify a business opportunity in the installation, service and maintenance of one type of control system, which deservedly belongs in electrical contractors’ portfolios. It goes by various names, including biocentric lighting and circadian lighting.

We prefer to call it human-centered lighting because we feel this term does the best job of suggesting its contribution to people’s health and well-being in buildings of nearly every size and type. More of the scientific literature is also integrating the human experience with technology development, making it human-centered in its design and engineering.

It also reminds us how the healthy building movement is a leading edge of the green building movement. Electric lighting accounts for 15%–20% of the energy consumed in the built environment. Fittingly, the green building movement has concentrated on energy conservation. However, it has concerned itself with the effect of energy conservation on the people inside those buildings.