A novel framework for the assessment of indoor lighting solutions and its application for model learning spaces of a higher educational institution considering energy efficiency and human factors

Indoor lighting planning, design, and commissioning should be performed with a panoptic view of financial incurrences, energy efficiency, photometric parameters, non-visual aspects, and human factors, and a practicable indoor lighting assessment framework can make thorough evaluations of proffered lighting designs of indoor spaces including classrooms of educational institutions. This study presents a comprehensive indoor lighting assessment framework, formulated with the assistance of the Delphi method of reaching expert consensus and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) of assigning weightage to each criterion, with three distinct criteria or rubrics: Energy Efficiency and Financial Aspects (EFFA), Visual and Non-Visual Effects (VNVE), and Occupants’ Perception and Comfort (OPC). A maximum composite score of 5 is awarded for each proffered lighting solution. This framework was applied for the evaluation of several candidate lighting solutions based on incandescent, fluorescent, and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps for model learning spaces of a higher educational institution in West Bengal, India, and the LED Downlight-based lighting system with a Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) of 4816 K of a model lecture theatre received the highest composite score of 4.00 out of 5.00 and maximized OPC (4.61 out of 5.00). In addition, LED-based lighting systems outscored the conventional counterparts by at least 7.85 %. The novelty of the introduced framework lies in its emphasis on interlacing energy performance, financial incurrences, ergonomics, and visual comfort in a unified evaluation model, offering a pragmatic-cum-productivist tool for indoor lighting design and assessment, particularly in regions and provinces lacking formal ergonomic lighting design and evaluation regulations.