Switching over to LEDs doesn’t just make your building more energy efficient. It makes it brighter. It gives you more lighting options. It even gives you remote access to your lighting settings. But it’s not just enough to rewire the sockets and improve your network. Your lighting needs to be redesigned for you to fully tap into all of the benefits of LEDs. Here’s why:

1. You get more brightness per unit.

No matter what building you have or the industry you’re working in, the lighting probably reaches a bare minimum of ‘sufficient.’ Either through general design or OSHA requirements, your incandescent or fluorescent lights do the job. But when you switch to LEDs, each bulb is capable of a lot more light. LEDs can run to approximately 3% of the sun’s brightness each, and that means your workspace is going to becoming very bright — maybe too bright.

Redistribute the lighting so your employees don’t have to worry about too much glare or light pollution as they work.

2. Directionality gives you more control over lighting the space.

Traditional bulbs emit light in every direction, and their covers could block off the lighting in a pseudo-attempt at directionality. But LEDs have an actual directional beam. With smart LEDs, you can even program that direction to change over time, along with brightness and color.

Your current lighting setup was designed based on the limitations of the time period. So update the configuration to match the new opportunities, especially in a retail or public space.

3. Make sure you meet new regulations.

Just like lighting technology updates, so do safety regulations. If you have freezers, regulations are tightening how much heat runoff can influence the temperature. Employee safety advocates also care about glare, lighting for overnight employees, and more. While you’re retrofitting your system for the new technology, redesign for compliance changes, too.