Before proceeding to the installation of lighting, you need to draw up a diagram of the location of the lamps and select the appropriate power of the bulbs. Much will depend on this in the future: from the level of illumination in the room to the efficiency of the developed system. Special programs for calculating and designing lighting allow us to save time and do everything right. In this article, we will provide you with a list of free software products that are the best today and also have a Russian version.
The simplest lighting calculations
First, let's analyze those programs, thanks to which you can quickly calculate the number of fixtures per room based on a given level of illumination and the selected lamp power.
One of the best for such operations is an online calculator for calculating illumination from Lighting Technologies. All you need to do is fill out the form on the site and select the appropriate type of fixtures, after which the "calculate" button will appear, by clicking on which you will get the exact result. A really free and easy-to-use program for calculating lighting in an apartment, house or industrial premises. The interface is intuitive, as can be seen in the picture:
An alternative solution is to download the program "Formula of Light", in which you can also quickly calculate the lighting. The functions are similar, the only thing is that the interface is slightly different, but this is not so important. All the same, the form for filling in the initial data is understandable and extremely simple.
By the way, a very functional android application for the same purpose is Lighting Calculations Pro V1.1.6. With it, you can perform calculations even on a tablet. The only negative is the application in English.
Creating complex models
If you are interested in more complex programs for calculating and modeling lighting, then we recommend using one of the following.
Dialux. The undoubted leader among programs for lighting calculations, as well as designing systems for internal and. This software product is suitable not only for home electricians, but also for professionals in the field of modeling and installation of lighting systems (including interior designers). Of the main functions of Dialux, I would like to highlight:
- Calculation of artificial and natural illumination.
- Designing rooms, street areas, industrial premises, roads, sports grounds (even stadiums), etc.
- Accounting for many factors that affect the design work (shape and location of furniture, weather conditions, color and texture interior decoration rooms, geometry and much more).
- Based on the initial data and the selection of suitable lighting equipment, various graphs, tables, 3d models and even videos are built.
- Ability to work with any files in .dwg and .dxf format.
At the same time, the Dialux program for calculating lighting is absolutely free and Russified for everyone. In addition, it has a built-in assistant, thanks to which you can understand the possibilities software product will be even easier! In general, today Dialux is considered the best and most common program for lighting calculations and design of indoor and outdoor lighting systems.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the Dialux interface and examples of finished projects:
Landscape
Each lighting project requires a calculation of the number of fixtures. As a rule, when calculating the number of fixtures, designers use the luminous flux utilization factor method. In this note I will tell you how to use this method, what data you need to have for the calculation, and I will offer my program.
Calculation of fixtures is performed for each room. To do this, you will need the following data, which are taken from the layout of the architects:
A– length of the room, m;
IN– room width, m;
H– room height, m;
H1- the distance between the lamps and the illuminated surface.
Each room, depending on the purpose (work performed, location of technological equipment), has its own illumination. Illumination of industrial premises is selected according to the category of visual work.
E– required illumination of the surface, lx;
With this information, you can proceed directly to the calculation of the number of fixtures.
2 Pre-select the power of the lamp in the lamp and, accordingly, its luminous flux. fl- luminous flux of one lamp, lm. For example, a T8 lamp with a power of 18 W has a luminous flux F = 1300lm.
3 Calculate the room index using the following formula:
F=A*B/(H1*(A+B))
4 According to the table, we determine the utilization factor (TO) lighting installation, based on the type of luminaire, the reflection coefficients of the ceiling, walls and floor, as well as the calculated room index.
5 Calculate the required number of fixtures (N) for lighting according to the formula:
N=E*A*B*U*efficiency/(K*n*Fl)
n- the number of lamps in the lamp;
efficiency– efficiency factor of the luminaire (selected from the catalogue).
So we calculated the number of fixtures for a particular room. Knowing how many lamps we want to install in the room, we can manipulate the power and number of lamps in one lamp, choosing more powerful or less powerful, changing the luminous flux of one lamp.
You may be wondering where to get all these reference materials?
Required levels of illumination, safety factors can be found in the regulatory documents listed at the end of the article.
Technical and operational parameters of light sources and tables of utilization factors are presented on the second and third sheets of the program for calculating the number of fixtures. Information taken from the GVA Lighting catalog.
Appearance of my program:
To get the program, go to the page
Scroll normative documents according to the calculation of the number of lamps:
1 TKP 45-2.04-153-2009. Natural and artificial lighting. Building design standards (RB).
2 TCP 45-4.04-149-2009. Electrical equipment systems for residential and public buildings. Design rules (RB).
3 SP 31-110-2003. Code of Practice for Design and Construction
"Design and installation of electrical installations of residential and public buildings" (RF).
4 SNiP 23-05-95. Set of rules. Natural and artificial lighting (RF).
Determination of the possibility of starting the electric motor
Calculation of the sag and tension force of the SIP
The calculation of illumination is important for comfortable conditions at work or at home. High-quality lighting is not only convenience, but also people's health. Moreover, with an excess or lack of light, not only vision suffers. This factor can also cause high fatigue and psychological discomfort. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right lighting.
illumination- this is the amount of light flux needed to illuminate 1 sq. m of premises. It is measured in Lux. There are lighting standards for residential and work premises. Using them and various auxiliary tables, it is quite easy to calculate the required amount of light for a particular room.
There are special programs online. The interface of such programs is quite simple and clear. The following parameters are set in the corresponding fields:
important luminous flux and safety factor lamps. It takes into account the aging of lighting fixtures and their dusting. Choose it based on lighting standards. For incandescent lamps in our country, this is 1.2, and for discharge lamps - 1.4.
There are exceptions for rooms where it is especially dusty. In such cases a higher safety factor is taken. The result obtained can usually be printed on a printer.
There are calculators for calculating incandescent and halogen or elements. They will help to calculate how many light sources are required in a particular room.
A little about lamps
Optimal for humans is natural light. To bring artificial lighting closer to natural you need carefully select light sources their power. Many factors are taken into account here, including the conditions in the room.
There are several types of artificial lighting:
To do the calculation of illumination correctly it is better to use a special program in the Internet. It makes it easy to pick best option for a specific room or office.
Types of lamps
To calculate the illumination, you need to know different parameters, the width and length of the room, the height of the suspension of lighting structures, the safety factor, and the luminous flux. But, first of all, choose the lamps that will be used.
The main types of lighting elements:
Naturally, each type has its own characteristics. Therefore, before choosing one or another option, it is necessary to take into account the conditions in which they will be used, the type of room and other factors. Such as luminous flux, element power and color rendering.
According to the program, it is not difficult to calculate the illumination of a certain room based on the norms. Select the type of lamp and power. There is such a criterion as color rendition. This concept includes color temperature and lighting shade. The first changes from red to blue. Its smaller value is close to red, and its larger value is close to blue.
Hue, as a rule, for many lamps is cold or warm. It is he who sets the tone of the light flux. At standard filament elements with color rendering, everything is simple. It has the same meaning and shade of light. With the compact fluorescent lamp, you can choose warm or cool shade and color rendering.
There is one more thing. When choosing a lamp, first of all, you need to look at how many watts the cartridge is designed for. Manufacturers usually indicate it on the cartridge or the lamp itself. Especially this important if halogens are used or incandescent lamps. After all, they produce heat. And when installing more powerful lamp than specified, the cartridge may melt.
A little about lamps
Also, do not lose sight of a few points related to lighting structures. What is the first thing to pay attention to?
It is necessary to take into account the color of furniture and wallpaper. After all dark colors absorb light, light ones reflect the opposite. Therefore, if the design of the room is designed in light shades, accordingly, losses in illumination can be avoided. When the interior is darker, then the illumination should be greater.
Matte lampshade for the lamp gently distributes light, but at the same time some loss of light is possible compared to transparent. If you choose a more powerful lighting element, for example, a 100 W incandescent lamp, it compensates for these light losses.
As for the location of the light source, the lamp installed higher from the floor gives more illumination. For example, a chandelier on the ceiling illuminates a larger area than a sconce mounted on the wall.
Ease of computing
What are the advantages of self-calculation of lighting using the program?
Using the online calculator is quite simple. In this case, the result will be accurate.
Choose the number of lamps
He will help you choose the right number of lighting structures for the room. You will need the parameters of the room and the reflection coefficient of the ceiling and floor. Distance between working surface and a lamp. Type of lamps and their power. Luminaire Utilization Factor its type and power. You also need to enter the lighting standards for this room.
So you can make an accurate calculation of all the necessary fixtures. And ensure a comfortable environment at work or at home. For example, the office ceiling height is 3.0 m, it has light walls and dropped ceilings. Hence the flow utilization factor is 0.5. According to the standard, the illumination should be 400 lux.
Accordingly, the luminous flux will be 24,000 lm. Thus, it is determined that when using an incandescent lamp, 1.2 kW is needed for a small room. But lighting technology specialists it is generally recommended to use modern LED systems. Then the energy consumption will be 200 watts. From here it is easy to calculate the number of required fixtures.
In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the type of light local or main. That is, the overhead light, illuminating the entire space or local, which includes floor lamps, sconces, table lamps.
If this is a living room, then it is most reasonable to make chandeliers with a matte shade as the main source of light. So the light spreads evenly and gently throughout the room. If you need to illuminate part of the room, then lamp would be a good option. on which a layer of reflective material is deposited. This will create a more local lighting character.
Other features
The program allows you to enter the parameters of an existing room and the devices used, determine how much the illumination meets the standards and, if necessary, correct it. To do this, enter:
Typically, the optimal power of one lamp for a standard office space is 20 W/sq. m. You can also calculate the area that the device can illuminate. Or the maximum height for it. As a rule, the programs have hints.
LED lightening
Such lighting fixtures can make residential and office spaces comfortable and more modern. Besides, luminaires save money providing sufficient light output. The question arises, what kind of lamps and how many LED lamps are needed for a comfortable environment.
In special programs, you can calculate the required number of LED lamps using data entry and auxiliary materials. Enter the power, number and location of fixtures. The coefficient of its pulsation and other lighting indicators are also important here.
In the data sheet of each led lamp there is data on the magnitude of the luminous flux. Therefore, you just need to take the SNiP norm, which is easy to find on the Internet and multiply by the footage of the room in square meters. The resulting value is divided by the luminous flux of one led lamp. Based on this the required quantity and power is determined LED lighting fixtures. This optimizes power consumption.
It is worth considering that the more sources, the smoother the light. So if there is a designer lighting option and several lamps that will be built into the ceiling. It is recommended to distribute 8 5 watt bulbs at an equal distance from each other.
Or you can concentrate them in the necessary area of the room. You can make several switches and illuminate, if necessary, one or another part of the room. Or turning on everything at once to get a bright light.
A few words in conclusion
By the way, using different types light sources in the same room is perfectly acceptable. Usually they try to choose the smallest number of devices, but so that the lighting is comfortable. It is important to maintain its uniformity or zoning
Calculation programs are very simple step-by-step editors that are easy to work with. Therefore, when an accurate result is needed, they are the best option for calculating illumination. Thus, it is possible not only to reduce energy costs, but also achieve maximum comfort in work and home environments.
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