In the homes we test, the office is often one of the highest-exposure rooms outside the bedroom, particularly impacted by unhealthy lighting, poor air quality, and elevated AC electrical fields. These exposures have a direct impact on how you feel and how well you think.
We’re seeing more companies start to care about this as well. We’ve recently tested and improved the Superpower office, and are testing offices for other fast-growing companies as well.
Here are some simple changes that make the biggest difference.
Light Quality
Most home office lighting has two problems: flicker and the light spectrum.
- Flicker is the rapid fluctuation in light output common in LEDs. Even when invisible to the naked eye, it can contribute to headaches, eye strain, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. ~53% of the office light fixtures we’ve tested exceed our flicker threshold. Some specific types of Lutron fixtures, which are common in the homes we assess, are surprisingly frequent offenders.
- The second issue is the light spectrum, and it shows up in two ways. During the day, many offices don’t get enough high-quality, full-spectrum light, which can affect visual comfort and alertness. Additionally, most LEDs, even those that look “warm,” can still emit a meaningful blue light peak. Evening exposure to this blue light can suppress melatonin and disrupt circadian rhythm.
What we recommend:
- Use incandescent or halogen bulbs where possible. They are effectively flicker-free, and do not have the sharp blue peak common in LEDs. They also emit near-infrared wavelengths that LEDs lack entirely. Research suggests near-infrared light supports cellular energy production and may improve vision over time.
- For daytime use, consider full-spectrum, sunlight-mimicking bulbs designed to promote wakefulness and productivity. Sunsy Shine and Waveform Centric Daylight are two options we have measured and like. Be careful not to use these too late in the day as they can disrupt sleep.
- In the evening, avoid overhead lighting. The photoreceptors in our eyes that regulate circadian rhythm are more sensitive to light from above. Use lamps below eye level instead.
Air Quality and Ventilation
Home offices usually have two air problems: poor ventilation and elevated particulate matter.
- In a poorly ventilated office, CO2 can climb past 1,500 ppm within a couple of hours, well above the outdoor baseline of 400 to 500 ppm and the 1,000 ppm level where multiple studies show cognitive performance begins to drop. Note: we use CO2 ppm as a proxy for ventilation. CO2 itself may not be the direct cause of these effects; other byproducts like VOCs that accumulate in poorly ventilated spaces may be the cause of certain effects.
- Elevated particulate matter can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Smaller particles, particularly those less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), are especially concerning as they can penetrate deep into the lungs. Particulate matter exposure can also affect how well you think.
What we recommend:
- Get a CO2 monitor. We like the Aranet4 Home because it’s accurate (most cheap consumer devices aren’t) and has a long battery life. Keep it on your desk and open a window or your office door when levels start climbing (aim to stay below 800 ppm).
- If you cannot open windows regularly or it is not enough, consider a mechanical ventilation system like a single-room ERV (energy recovery ventilator). These bring in fresh filtered air without losing heating or cooling efficiency.
- Run a HEPA air purifier continuously at the highest speed comfortable for noise, not on auto mode. Auto mode often waits for particle levels to rise before kicking on. When shopping, prioritize a true HEPA unit with a high enough clean air delivery rate (CADR) for the room. For a typical home office (100 to 200 sq ft), a Coway AP-1512HH is a good value option. If VOCs from new furniture or flooring are part of the problem, the Austin Air HealthMate Plus has a substantial activated carbon bed, which captures the VOCs that a HEPA filter alone won’t catch.
EMF Exposure
AC electrical fields are produced by any live electrical wire or device that is plugged in, even when it is turned off. Common sources in the office include: wall wiring, lamps, chargers, power strips, and standing desks. In ~40% of homes, the office was one of the top one or two sources of total daily exposure.
RF radiation is a form of EMF that comes from most devices that emit a signal (like cellular phones, Wi-Fi infrastructure, and connected devices). In 1/3 of the offices we’ve tested, the office drove more than 90% of the home’s total RF exposure.
What we recommend:
- Unplug your standing desk or use a remote outlet kill switch when you are not adjusting the height (search “kill switch outlet remote” on Amazon). Across the offices we’ve tested, this reduced total daily AC electrical field exposure by ~28%.
- Replace ungrounded power strips with grounded, shielded versions. Across the offices we’ve tested, this reduced daily AC electrical field exposure by ~55%.
- Move the router as far from your desk as possible, ideally to another room. If that is not practical, use a router shield to reduce exposure without significantly lowering internet speed. A fully wired Ethernet connection is our ideal recommendation though. If you can run Ethernet, even just in your office, it eliminates wireless exposure at the source while also providing a faster and more stable connection.
A Bay Area Home with a Wiring Error Impacting the Office
During an assessment in the Bay Area, we identified a wiring error which was impacting the office. We recorded elevated AC electrical fields with a body voltage reading of 8,000 mV, well above our thresholds for concern.
The elevated body voltage, combined with elevated magnetic fields we detected, pointed to a wiring error. In a properly wired circuit, the hot and neutral wires carry equal and opposite currents that cancel each other out. However, when there is a wiring error, that cancellation breaks down, and leads to elevated EMF exposure.
Our time-weighted exposure analysis classified this as a priority intervention given the extent of the elevated fields, the associated health effects, and the time spent in the office.
The good news is wiring errors like these can typically be identified and fixed by an electrician in a single visit.
When we do identify an issue that requires an external contractor, whether it’s a severe EMF problem, a serious internal mold source, or something else, we find the right independent contractors, brief them, and help oversee the process to ensure it’s done correctly the first time.
We never take referral fees or commissions from anything we recommend. Our customers’ health is our only priority.