Accessible Light
Lighting that renews, heals and protects
Embrace a World of Healthy Lighting
Connecting Consumers & Contractors to great new products
Real products are available now that create indoor lighting matching the health enhancing rhythms of natural sunlight and destroy harmful microorganisms.
Advances in LED lighting technology enables us to enjoy the benefits of real sunlight indoors. This progress in not limited to just better focus and improved sleep, special varieties of LEDs are now able to effectively destroy airborne microorganisms that bring disease such as Covid.
Actual products are now out there. Unfortunately much of the good information on what one can find, purchase and use is buried in a confusing mass of information regarding LED lighting technology. To make matters worse – some data focuses on obsolescing or poorly designed product instead of presenting a clear scientific picture of what’s really available.
This site offers LED lighting products that match natural sunlight and LEDs capable of destroying air and water born microorganisms.
News Highlights
What do I want in Healthy Lighting?
Choice of Spectrum=Light that wakes me up in the morning and allow me to work or...
What to look for in Lighting that support Circadian Rhythms
The simplest ways of of bringing healthy daylight inside is to change either lamps...
Disinfecting the water we drink and the air we breathe
UV-C LEDs Disinfecting the water we drink and the air we breathe Moving towards the...
Light, not chemicals, wins the battle against microorganisms on the home front
For many decades some municipal water systems have used a form of light, UV-C...
With LEDs I Can:
Set Healthy Circadian Rythmns
& Kill Germs
Where we fit in
The purpose of this site is to save you time and effort in getting lighting that enhances your health and wellbeing.
In the last 20 years, thanks to advances in LED technology, the scope of lighting has undergone a revolution. Lighting used to only remove darkness, allowing us to compensate for shorter daylight hours in winter. Now indoor LED lights are available that offer us the health benefits of given by the rhythms of natural outdoor sunlight.
LED light technology also allows us to remove harmful microorganisms too small to be taken out of our air and water by physical filtration. Such systems are available for residential use right now.
Because of the wide scope of lighting products and the recent technical changes LEDs bring to this market, basic information is scattered throughout many sites. Our goal is to present a single site that provides all the data on healthy indoor light and germicidal lighting for residential use.
Our Approach
Getting What Works for You - Where We Fit In
Choices and trade offs
Targeting the important information vs. the marketing fluff
Important information – looking for the hard numbers and understanding the what they mean for your health.
Important hard numbers for healthy natural indoor light that closely matches outdoor daylight.
For the individual consumer interested in healthy LED light that takes advantage of our circadian rhythm and, possibly removes harmful microorganisms, we focus on what you can buy today. We also mention developments that will bring down expense for a particular range of products and save on energy usage thanks to using LEDs. Products in this category are all UL certified for safety.
For the Contractor we summarize LED systems now available and who makes them. This may involve several different vendors since the actual LEDs are only one part of larger system that may include simple wall switch devices for smaller installations and larger computer controlled systems for entire buildings. Only actual vendors with existing products will be listed.
For the manufacturer our efforts are focused on the continuing progress of their LED offerings as well as listing companies involved in matching the appropriate LED to working lighting systems. Our interest here is to move what manufacturers offer into a wider LED lighting market through product and company information.
Consumers - Things to Know
Individual Purchasers
Lighting that answers our health needs
This site provides accurate information on how to find and purchase indoor lighting that 1) gives us the same benefits as outdoor sunlight – energizing, relaxing and preparing us for good sleep 2) germicidal lighting that removes pathogenic microorganisms from the water we drink and the air we breathe.
Getting good Circadian indoor lighting closely matching the full spectral changes of outdoor daylight can be as simple as purchasing full or adjustable spectrum light bulbs or lamps. We provide the necessary spectral, color rendering and lighting control information along with general pricing.
While changing individual lighting is relatively simple, setting up a whole household Circadian system could require hiring a lighting contractor. At this point in time, no full spectrum replacements exist for fluorescent tubes.
Installing effective germicidal lighting, at present, is limited to water systems only. Although germicidal air disinfection lighting systems do exist and work, no real time measurement of their effectiveness exists outside of the laboratory. It is a situation where we know UV-C LEDs effectively disable microorganisms, without knowing how large such lighting set up is needed to demonstrably disinfect the air for a given room.
Unlike Circadian lighting, germicidal light is harmful to human tissue and requires shielding from direct exposure to individuals working in a area where UV-C is deployed. For water, this is as simple as using an enclosed pipe to hold the UV-C LEDs. The water flowing through the pipe is disinfected and shielded by the pipe itself.
A contractor or individual undertaking the setting up of a germicidal system needs not only to understand plumbing and water filtration need, but also the electrical connection to the UV
-C LEDS – without which the system cannot work.
The only UV-C systems we recommend are LED based. Use of low pressure Mercury vapor bulbs represents an obsolescing technology unable to match the optimal germicidal capacity of UV-C LEDs running at between 260 and 275 nanometers. Low pressure Mercury vapor bulbs, aside from containing toxic Mercury enclosed in breakable glass, needs warm up time and must remain permanently on to work. Non-toxic UV-C LEDs require no warm up time and run only when the water is running, saving energy and extending their product lifetime into long years not months.
Contractors - Things to Know
Contractors
Information on where to find and purchase components
1) that creates a health promoting indoor lighting system
2) that use UV-C LEDs for germicidal protection in residential water and air systems
Residential lighting systems are undergoing a health revolution. For the first time in human history we now possess the ability to create indoor light that closely matches the spectrum of outdoor sunlight as it changes throughout the day. This allows our bodies to maintain Circadian rhythms that provide healthy energy, relaxation and sleep patterns even if we never step outside during the day.
What makes this possible is LED lighting. LEDs have replaced traditional luminaires due to their long life combined with sharply reduced power needs (Watts) for the same amount of light (Lumens). Finding an appropriate lighting (bulbs and strips) has moved from seeing luminaires as a disposable to understanding them as a semi-permanent fixture lasting for years or decades depending on use.
Home or residential lighting plays an important role in maintaining our health. Although much of our life may be spent living and working outside of where we reside, the important spectral changes of the light spectrum, starting with waking up to preparation for sleep, are things we experience indoors at home. Designing light that energizes or relaxes our bodies at the appropriate turns out to be a matter of our personal health.
Lighting that offers our bodies the benefits of changing outdoor sunlight’s full spectrum can be designed using the appropriate bulbs, lamps or strips that possess the ability to change color temperature (Kelvins) and brightness (Lumens). LED Bulbs, lamps and strip lighting with the ability to closely match the spectral changes of sunlight are easily available through multiple vendors. Such lighting, often listed as “full spectrum”, allows one to control both color temperature and brightness as well as offering color rendering close to that of natural outdoor daylight (making true color photographs).
Several important characteristics of full “full spectrum” LEDs must be considered in designing for an entire residence.
Punch list for LED based Circadian lighting
Type of Luminaire
Bulb
Strip lighting
Lamp
Spectral Characteristics
Set spectrum choices – eg. 2700K, 3500k, 4500K 6000K
Single or various spectra
Full Spectrum – can vary in range – usually between 2400-6000K
Note – LED replacements for fluorescent bulbs only allow for one
spectral setting.
CRI – 90 or more
Final Note – the spectral distribution of the Luminaire should closely match all the given spectra of the sun except for the infrared.
Control Issues – Lamps offering set spectrum choices offer brightness settings as well in their control system.
Full Spectrum Bulbs offer a variety or remote control systems
A majority of these use Wi-Fi -either phone based or a Wi-Fi
control included with the bulb. Brightness controls are
Included.
Due to the long life of LEDs a wiring based switch is strongly suggested.
Special room issues – Bathrooms should offer high Kelvin (Blue/ White -6000+) for general morning use, lower Kelvin(Orange/Yellow 2000-2500) for preparing for sleep use and a separate Red/Orange (800-900 Kelvin) bulb for middle of the night use. This last bulb’s color temperature gives out light that minimally interrupts normal sleep patterns-allowing faster return to healthy sleep. This may require separate switches for the night light.
With the exception of fluorescent LED replacements, all Luminaires should allow for brightness controls (rheostats).
Manufacturers - Things to Know
Manufacturer
Confirmation of Correct Technical Information Relating to Healthy Lighting Product
Circadian Lighting and Germicidal UV-C LEDs
Circadian
Our website – Accessible Light.info – aims to provide accurate information on commercially available indoor lighting products that closely match the spectral changes found in outdoor daylight.The health advantages of luminaires able to offer the full spectrum of outdoor light and the availability of such lighting products to the general public deserves accurate presentation.
The most important information is your luminaires’ spectral range (in Kelvins) and its ability to closely match the spectrum of natural sunlight (excluding a portion of potentially harmful infrared) as it changes throughout the day.
We feel that a CRI of 90 of better is also important as it again brings a close match to outdoor light.
Because of the newness of full spectrum LED luminaires, spectral controls vary from Wi-Fi to wired switches. Even though no general switching standard exists, our preference into have a wired switching system available even if WiFi controls are offered. Our concern is ease of use, especially for portions of the population not familiar with WiFi control systems.
Germicidal UV-C LEDs for Home Use
UV-C LEDs operating at between 260 and 275 Nanometers have proven to be an effective destroyer of pathogenic microorganisms. Their deployment in disinfecting home water and air systems is at an early stage.
Since direct exposure to the UV-C spectrum can harm human tissue, the first issue in the use of UV-C LEDs is protective shielding. In water systems, this can be easily done by including the UV-C LEDs in a section of pipe carrying the water. The pipe must have 2 characteristics. The first is that it must have an electrical connection to run the UV-C LEDs. The second is that the pipe must be connectable to a water filtration system that filters out particulate matter that could shield pathogenic microorganisms from direct exposure to UV-C spectrum light.
Although a variety of UV-C air disinfection systems are presently being used in large buildings the only systems accessiblelight.info will offer are troffer or air ventilation based. These systems allow for full shielding of UV-C LEDs and air flow control
Frequently Asked Questions
Why LEDs?
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are the only light source, outside of the sun, that has the capability to deliver the full spectral range of visible light closely matching that of natural daytime sunlight. In addition to this, specialized UV-C LEDs are able to deliver the most potent form of germicidal light at between 260 and 275 nanometers.
Beyond just delivering the full spectral range equivalent of outdoor daylight, some LED lighting is able to be externally controlled to match a particular change in daylight – ie. blue/white light to energize (wake up) in the morning or orange/yellow to relax in the evening – all in one externally controlled bulb.
Are full spectrum LED bulbs or lamps expensive to run or buy?
Compared to all other forms of lighting, LED based lighting is the least expensive to run (up to 80% less wattage and up to 40,000 hours without replacement = years or decades).
LED based lamps require less actual wire, or clumsy switches and bulb receptacles – making them less obtrusive and more economical in terms of space use. A wide variety of spectrally controlled LED lamps are available of well under $40 through Walmart or Amazon.
Why Germicidal LEDs ?
There are several strong reasons for deploying UV-C LEDs as part of a home water system.
Unlike many other water purification systems, UV-C spectrum LEDs running at between 260 and 275 Nanometers provide active disinfection not passive filtration of water borne pathogens. Invasive microorganisms are permanently disabled by exposure to UV-C spectrum light. Even though pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses can pass through high quality commercial home filters, their RNA/DNA has no protection against destruction by UV-C light.
The other major active method of water disinfection is the addition of Chlorine to the water. This Chlorine remains in the water, UV-C light rays add nothing to the water (i.e. no chemicals). The use of UV-C LEDs to disinfect water is the only active method that guarantees disinfection without potentially harmful chemical additives.
Can I Have Home Disinfection of Indoor Air Using UV-C LEDs
Unlike UV-C water disinfection, LED based home UV-C air disinfection has not really made a full commercial entry into home installation.
Several limiting factors play a role in slowing adoption of UV-C LED air disinfection in a home setting. One of the most significant issues is the fact that this form of air disinfection relies on an indoor air circulation system. Many older structures rely on individual room based radiator heating to control air temperature. This is combined with window based air conditioning in the rooms that need it such as the kitchen, living room and bedrooms. This combination eliminates any central point where UV-C LEDs could be deployed to disinfect the air in all the rooms of a residence.
In structures that rely on air flow temperature control and circulation (HVAC) this problem is eliminated. The central points utilizing fans and duct networks can easily be modified through installation of UV-C LEDs in the central duct system. The metal of the duct itself provides the perfect shielding for the UV-C LEDs. So it is possible, in this setting, to effectively disinfect indoor air if the UV-C LEDs are deployed in combination with the appropriate air filters (ideally MERV 15). The major changes involved in setting up such a system do not effect the basic structure of the HVAC in any significant way. In fact, proper deployment of UV-C has been used to remove air blocking mould build up in some HVAC system.
It is at this point that a second critical issue comes forward. We know from extensive laboratory tests, that UV-C LEDs operating a between 260 and 275 nanometers destroy pathogenic microorganisms RNA/DNA on direct exposure to UV-C light. Because many pathogens are smaller than 2 Microns in size (i.e.many viruses including Covid) we have no way, at present, to exactly measure, in realtime, UV-C’s effectiveness because we have no commercial instrumentation capable of exact realtime particle measurement below 2 Microns in an air flow environment. So we know that UV-C LEDs work and work well against pathogenic microorganisms, but lack ways of determining actual levels of effectiveness due to lack of instrumentation. Essentially this means that we’re forced to rely on computer models rather than actual measurement to determine the number of UV-C LEDs necessary for good levels of disinfected air.
Because effective disinfection of air through the use of UV-C LEDs is known, it is relatively certain that the measurement issue will be resolved as commercial air measurement technology advances. It’s obvious that buildings offering UV-C LED driven disinfected air systems have a strong price advance over structures that don’t. Except in highly customized situations, air disinfection using UV-C LEDS has not yet received general consideration as a real home use option.
