Analysis of artificial lighting standards for residential buildings

Abstract

The use of indicators for the performance evaluation of artificial lighting systems in the built environment has been discussed in several countries. However, there are few tools to reconcile quantitative and qualitative aspects of energy-efficient lighting during the design of artificial lighting projects. This work compares the Brazilian indicators with the leading international indicators, understood as reference values that help the designer concerning the performance of lighting projects. A documentary research was carried out on the standards and codes of indicators related to visual comfort and energy efficiency of lighting in residential environments, as well as a comparative analysis of similarities and significant differences among them. As a result, it was observed that the national indicators are generic, disregarding specificities of activities carried out in residential environments. The study has demonstrated a lack of indicators that best express the performance of artificial lighting in residential environments. This situation has led the designers to use existing indicators in the manuals and regulations regarding non-residential typologies as a parameter of performance to be achieved. The relevance of this work is the identification of essential gaps in standards and codes, contributing to the improvement of these national standards and their impact on the project activity of the area under study.