Reducing lighting energy use in retail display windows

A field study was conducted at three clothing stores to validate previous laboratory findings indicating that colored LEDs used as background display lighting could: 1) lower the power demand of accent lighting by up to 50 percent; and 2) provide greater attention capture and visual appeal than current lighting practice. Blue LEDs provided a colored background for window mannequins by illuminating white backdrops. Eliminating fluorescent general lighting and reducing the number and wattage of halogen accent lamps in the display windows reduced the lighting power demand by up to 50 percent. During an eight-week period, more than 700 shoppers rated the attractiveness, eye-catching ability, comfort, and visibility of four different lighting conditions. The results of this field study showed that by introducing color contrast between the displayed objects and the background, the power demand of the accent lighting could be reduced by up to 50 percent without sacrificing visual appeal, visibility, ability to capture the attention of shoppers, and the ability to see the colors of the objects on display. Furthermore, the sales of the products on display were not affected by the 50 percent reduction in lighting.