Exploring lighting conditions to reduce energy consumption and improve cognitive performance using immersive virtual environments

The global energy crisis has created an urgent demand to decrease the energy that buildings consume. In universities, the situation is complicated as campuses need to have a high level of comfort and, therefore, consume more energy than other building types. Lighting accounts for a high percentage of this energy expenditure and urgent measures are required to reduce this consumption and, thus, costs. A further complication is that lighting has been shown to have an important influence on cognitive learning processes. One such process is memory, which has a fundamental influence on modern society. In this study, we analyse the psychological responses of 143 students in a memory task in a virtual classroom using three illuminance levels (100 lx, 300 lx and 500 lx) and four colour temperatures (3000 K, 4000 K, 6500 K and 10500 K). The results showed that lighting conditions influence memory. The combination of 100 lx and 6500 K produced the best memory performance. The results showed that varying lighting parameters can significantly reduce the energy expenditure of educational centres and, in turn, provide better cognitive outcomes for students.