Since the advent of the electric lamp, the lighting industry has focused on reducing costs so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of lighting. However, there's a problem with only focusing on costs because it assumes that light is light, so the cheaper the light, the better the lighting, which is simply not true. The light needed in an office is different than the light needed to drive, which is different than the light needed to highlight a product, which is different than the light needed to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Traditionally, we have measured light for all of these situations in terms of lumens. But the lumen is not always the best way to measure the benefits of light. The Lighting Research Center has developed new metrics, based upon research in neuroscience, which can be used to quantify the various and multifaceted benefits of light. Advances in lighting technologies like SSL and controls enable us to increase the value of lighting. Not only can we continue to decrease the cost of lighting, but we can increase the benefits of lighting because now we can measure light in terms of those benefits.

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Value Metrics for Better Lighting by LRC Director Mark S. Rea

http://spie.org/Publications/Book/1000979

The Value Proposition: A New Spin on 'Value Engineering' - LD+A, February 2014

http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/resources/newsroom/LDAvalue.pdf

The Value Proposition: Where Are the Products? - LD+A, May 2014

http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/resources/newsroom/LDAvalue2.pdf

The Value Proposition: A Metric for the Aesthetic - LD+A, August 2014

http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/resources/newsroom/LDAvalue3.pdf