In this month’s interview, ECN is speaking with Dr Shelley James of Age of Lighting Innovations, a renowned lighting consultant, TEDx speaker, educator, and advocate for healthier, high-performing environments through the science of light:
ECN: Hi Shelley! To start with, could you describe your beginnings in the electrical sector, along with details of what motivated you to create Age of Light Innovations and champion healthier lighting?
Shelley: My route into the electrical sector has been a bit unconventional. Following a career first in corporate design, a cycling accident that triggered extreme sensitivity to light forced me to learn how light affects my brain first hand – discoveries that sparked a complete change of direction. I went back to art school, set up a residency at the Bristol Eye Hospital, and was accepted to take a PhD at the Royal College of Art, working with print in glass to study optical illusions. Preparing for an installation at the Saatchi gallery, I struggled to find anyone to advise me on the lights, so I decided to take basic City and Guilds qualifications to become an electrician myself. I set up a light library and advisory service so that others wouldn’t have to face the same hassle and expense. However, I had to close that down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Realising that few people understood just how much light matters for mental and physical health, I launched a social media campaign for my teenage nieces that went viral. Encouraged by that response, I set up Age of Light Innovations over five years ago now.
ECN: Lighting has historically been about illumination and energy savings, but much of your work focuses on the biological effects of lighting. What’s the primary message you’re seeking to deliver?
Shelley: The primary message is that specifying lighting for your biology really isn’t rocket science and it doesn’t need to cost the earth. We just need to go back to basics. Every system in your body and brain is optimised for a regular cycle of bright days and dark nights. Huge biobank studies show that the people who follow that simple rule of thumb are healthier and happier, do better at school and at work, and cope more easily with the symptoms of chronic and degenerative diseases like diabetes and dementia. Anyone who’s been on holiday and spent more time outside knows first hand just how much better they sleep at night. But you can’t always be on holiday – and you can’t always be outside.
We now know enough about the ‘active’ ingredients to be able to engineer light sources to deliver the right light at the right time. That approach may need higher brightness at some times of day, but you can actually save energy over time. Given that you’re specifying lighting anyway, you might as well do it right.
ECN: How do you respond to sceptics who see human-centric lighting as a “nice-to-have”, rather than an essential?
Shelley: I suppose you have to ask: if it’s not for humans, who else is it for? But seriously, you don’t need super-sophisticated lighting everywhere; if you focus the investment where it will have the greatest impact, the marginal cost is small, but the gain in terms of client experience and satisfaction – and environmental performance over time – can be the difference between repeat business and referrals or someone going elsewhere.
ECN: With the rise of smart buildings and IoT, what role do you see electrical contractors playing in delivering truly responsive, human-centric lighting? And what are some of the challenges contractors face when it comes to these types of projects?
Shelley: Electrical contractors are absolutely central to the successful delivery of truly human-centric schemes. Designers can create concepts on paper, but making it happen on the ground is where the real magic – and value – lies. In my experience, electrical contractors are often keen to learn about human-centric lighting, but contracts are written to minimise risk and ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget, so they’re reluctant to try anything new. I’ve also seen that some contractors may lack the skills or confidence to make the shift from wiring to programming, through which they could successfully navigate what this ‘smart’ world demands.
ECN: How can contractors effectively collaborate with lighting designers and clients to move beyond basic compliance lighting and towards genuinely health-supportive installations? Are there common specification pitfalls to avoid?
Shelley: The key to effective collaboration – and to avoid the frustration and ‘crossed wires’ I often see – is open communication and respect for each other’s perspective. Being clear about the creative and technical brief upfront, identifying potential pinch points and working them out together in good time, and seeing each project as a chance to build expertise and mutually profitable relationships for the future rather than a short-term drive for the bottom line. The most common pitfall I see is where there is no provision for time or budget to test or adjust an installation once it goes ‘live’. This critical stage can transform performance in environmental and human terms.
ECN: What advice would you give to electrical contractors and their teams who want to upskill in this area? Are there specific training pathways or tools you’d recommend?
Shelley: The LIA has an award-winning professional training platform, and I believe they have just introduced a controls module that may be of interest.
ECN: Looking ahead, what innovations or policy changes in lighting do you anticipate will most impact the electrical contracting sector in the next three to five years?
Shelley: We already have the new Part L requiring smart lighting controls and I think this will be a big driver for change. I’d love to see contractors using this as an opportunity to think more holistically about what (and more importantly whom) the lighting is for, to integrate with other building systems and simplify rather than simply add a layer of control to an existing legacy system. Growing awareness of the harm caused by artificial light at night is another trend that is likely to drive policy changes that affect electrical contractors working on agricultural, industrial, and transport infrastructure.
ECN: If you could mandate one change in how the industry approaches lighting design and installation tomorrow, what would it be and why?
Shelley: The one change I would mandate would be the requirement for lighting designers, installers, and manufacturers to spend a full day in the spaces they have delivered – and, better yet, bring their partner, parent, or child with them.
ECN: What has been the most rewarding part of your work in relation to championing lighting and its impact on health and wellbeing?
Shelley: Seeing the effects of changes in lighting infrastructure on real people. Seeing an older person who has been isolated in his bedroom coming into the lounge to chat. Overhearing a nurse telling a colleague how she just doesn’t get headaches any more.
ECN: Lastly, what do you most enjoy doing in your time away from work?
Shelley: I swim in the sea every morning, all year round. I’m also training for a half marathon and live three doors away from a pub that has award-winning beer and live music or a DJ several times a week.
This interview first appeared in the June 2026 edition of the Electrical Contracting News (ECN) magazine.