Schools implement new lighting in classrooms to help students

Originally published by KCCI Des Moines.

The Des Moines School District has implemented a new lighting system in hopes of helping students perform better in school.

Video transcript:

Mark: Here at ruby van meter school in Des Moines, that constant buzz of fluorescent lighting is gone. It has been replaced by lighting that can be changed by a touch of a button. Day of classes at Ruby Van Meter first school is just hours away. Finishing touches on a $6 million renovation are going down to the last minute but perhaps the most startling change for students is going to be the color of their classrooms. Not the walls but the light. This is typically what an afternoon light would be, very bright, stimulating. The soft, orange light is where the pupil dilation opens, and increases melatonin and helps relaxing, calming. Mark: studies from Europe, where manipulating lighting in classroom is now commonplace, have been linked to decreased hyperactivity and increased educational performance. We're hoping that with the variable lighting system we can control it that we can really help to decrease perhaps a lot of acting out behaviors. Ruby van meter and Smouse, both schools for disabled children, are believed to be the first schools in the country that have installed tunable lighting in all their classrooms. As far as the potential savings here, just moving to led you can save 20-25% on your , electrical bill. Mark: district officials say the tunable lights cost about 30 to $40 more per fixture than the old fluorescents but they aren't worried about the extra up front cost. Quite honestly, we're going to offset the cost of this lighting through our energy energy -- through our energy savings. Mark: every Des Moines school will eventually have LED lighting, but district officials are going to wait and see for results from Smouse and Van Meter school before they decide how many will have tunable lighting. In Des Moines, Mark Tauscheck, KCCI 8 News, Iowa's news leader.

Source: https://www.kcci.com/article/schools-implement-new-lighting-in-classrooms-to-help-students-2/6457532