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Smarter Lighting, Better Care
Pilot Program Brings Low-Voltage Circadian Lighting to Houston Methodist
By Parker Allen
Healthcare spaces represent a unique category of lighting projects. Budgets are tight. Codes are stringent. And lighting that supports both patient and staff is of paramount importance.
Earlier this year, mate. announced a pilot program with Acuity Brands to transform the patient care areas at the downtown campus of Houston Methodist Hospital. Jenn Upton, Co-Founder of mate., and Tommy Nichols, Business Development Director – Healthcare at Acuity Brands, shared their insights on the innovative low-voltage, circadian rhythm-friendly project.
THE SOLUTION
The pilot program includes outfitting Houston Methodist nurse stations, patient rooms, and shared spaces with tunable Lithonia Lighting fixtures—each powered from a mate. smart driver. The M8-TW-ULTRA smart driver is housed within the hospital floor’s mechanical room, making installation and maintenance simpler and less invasive.
The low-voltage power gave rise to a unique aspect of the project – the installation was completed by Lone Star Communications, a Life & Safety Communications company. Companies like Lone Star monitor the code blue emergency buttons and nurse call system devices in the room, which also run on low-voltage power.
Lone Star Communications involvement is a critical advantage as they are already trusted by and familiar with Houston Methodist’s facility directors. This partnership offers mate. a distinctive way to integrate its lighting technology into healthcare settings.
THE BENEFITS
Circadian Rhythm Lighting for Healthcare
One of the standout features of mate.’s lighting technology is its circadian-aligned lighting system. This system tracks the natural solar cycle, adjusting light levels and color temperatures throughout the day.
In the morning, the lighting starts with a soft amber glow to simulate sunrise and gradually shifts to brighter, cooler light during the day to signal alertness. As evening approaches, the lighting shifts back to a warm, dimmer tone, reducing exposure to blue light, which can interfere with sleep.
Importantly, the circadian-aligned lighting system is set as the system default, providing optimal conditions without requiring manual adjustment from patients or caregivers.
While circadian-effective lighting has been available before, its high cost has historically made it difficult to include in many healthcare projects. This partnership aims to change that.
Energy and Cost Savings
In addition to the health benefits, the lighting solution offers significant energy savings. Compared to standard static LED lighting solutions, mate.’s technology uses approximately 60% less energy. This is a critical factor for healthcare facilities, where return on investment is scrutinized, especially when budgets for new builds or renovations are tight.
Another key benefit is the reduced construction cost due to the system’s low-voltage nature. Traditional lighting installations require conduits to be installed in the ceiling, but mate.’s solution eliminates that need, providing a cost-effective alternative.
Centralized Management and Maintenance
Designed with centralized management in mind, mate.’s hardware is housed in an IDF closet, where the AC/DC conversion occurs. From this closet, low-voltage wiring runs to individual patient rooms and hallways. This setup not only simplifies the installation process but also means that most maintenance can often be conducted in the closet itself, minimizing disruption to patient care.
The system also allows for real-time monitoring of each light fixture, offering a significant improvement over the traditional approach of manually checking equipment. Facilities managers can receive performance data on each fixture, enabling them to schedule maintenance proactively, avoiding costly disruptions. By ensuring that maintenance is done before an issue becomes critical, healthcare facilities can improve patient care while reducing the likelihood of costly unplanned downtime in patient rooms.
THE FUTURE
Healthcare design has, in recent years, focused heavily on creating impressive, aesthetically-pleasing lobbies and atria while neglecting patient care areas. Nichols noted, “The second you get back to the patient care environment, that’s where investment has dwindled.”
Acuity Brands and mate. aim to change that. This pilot is just the beginning, with both companies aiming to make low-voltage circadian-aligned lighting a standard feature in healthcare environments. Pending the success of the pilot program, the plan is to expand the project across the Houston Methodist’s other campuses as well as their comprehensive and emergency care centers.
“It feels like lighting has been the last piece of the puzzle in terms of automation in patient rooms,” Upton explained.
The future of healthcare lighting is here—and it’s smarter, more energy-efficient, and more patient-friendly than ever before.
