Choosing Light: Revitalizing Your Business Through Relighting Your Environment

Light affects everything. Light is how we see and interpret how inviting, or uninviting, a situation is. This applies to nearly everything we experience, but it particularly affects our retail experience, both for those who work in retail and for shoppers. Proper lighting can make the difference between lethargic, disconnected employees and active, attentive ones. Studies also show that store lighting has a heavy influence over the amount of time that customers shop as well as how comfortable they are making purchases. Changing over from older forms of lighting, such fluorescent lighting, to LED lighting can have a big impact on the cost of doing business as well as change the way customers perceive your company.

Changing The Environment

Switching to LED lighting can seem daunting, but the benefits far outweigh the initial struggles of change. LED lights come with many benefits, the most obvious being decreased energy costs. LEDs can reduce lighting cost by up to 75%. That is a game changer. Not only that, but they can also reduce cooling costs. Traditional lighting gives off the majority of its light through heat, LEDs do not. They run much cooler, which naturally reduces the overall temperature of the room. This change of temperature can affect the comfort of your employees and customers, creating a more inviting environment.

Then there is the light itself. LED lights give off what is often referred to as white light, or a cleaner light. This cleaner light not only increases visibility, but it can impact the health of those experiencing it. Studies show that proper lighting in the workplace can affect mood, alertness, and productivity as well as decrease the chances of some physical ailments such as eye strain, headaches, and even high blood pressure. The health and well-being of your employees can change the efficiency of your company; giving them proper lighting is definitely worth it.

Shopping Through Light

Light is how we see; if the lighting around us is bright and clear, then we can see and enjoy the details of our environment. In a retail setting, seeing the details can make the difference between shopping til we drop and dropping our shopping and running out. A university study done in 2013 shows that the lighting in a store can completely change the way a shopper views both the store and the products in it. Dimly lit shops were described with adjectives such as ‘shady’ or ‘untrustworthy’, while well-lit, bright stores were thought to be better organized and to carry better quality products. The light makes all the difference. The brighter clean light of LEDs can give customers the assurance that they are truly seeing what they are purchasing and make them more comfortable spending more time in the shop and buying more.

Choosing Light

Not only does proper lighting affect your electric bill, but it can also affect your employees in their attentiveness and safety, as well as your customers and how and where they choose to spend their hard earned money. Taking the time to retrofit your older lighting systems to LED lights will not only save you money, but it will also make you money. Clearly, updated LED lighting is a smart business decision all around.

If you would like more information about retrofitting the lighting in your business, feel free to contact us.

Sustainable Lighting Options for Businesses

Currently, most business owners are working towards achieving sustainability in their daily operations because customers prefer engaging enterprises that prioritize the need to conserve the environment. One of the best ways to create a sustainable workplace is by opting to use eco-friendly lighting. Energy saving bulbs will not only improve the working conditions for your staff but also reduce your energy bill considerably.

Various regulations are pushing companies to lower their carbon footprint and for that reason, opting to use eco-friendly lighting within your enterprise is a wise idea. However, the proliferation of sustainable light fittings in the market makes it difficult to identify the right option for your business. Here are some of the viable business lighting options that can offer excellent value for your money.

Architectural Modifications

The discovery of new lighting technologies for businesses is gathering momentum as more and more business operators focus on acquiring the right option to support their operations. If you do not want to delve into the aspect of visiting various vendors as you seek to identify appropriate lighting for your company, you can consider modifying the architectural design of your office space.

The idea behind the architectural modifications is to maximize natural light to make your office brighter as you seek to reduce reliance on artificial lighting. For instance, you can arrange the light shafts, windows, and skylights of your company premises to maximize natural light by adopting the daylighting design.

LED Lighting

One of the challenges of the previous variety of LED bulbs is that they are quite dim and therefore unsuitable for commercial buildings. The improvements on LED bulbs today makes them one of the best options for businesses because they are currently brighter and their lifespan is longer.

If you opt to invest in LED lighting as a business operator, you will cut down on the cost of replacing light fittings from time to time since LED bulbs last longer than ordinary bulbs.

CFL Light Fittings

If LED bulbs are an expensive option for your organization, you can consider buying CFL light fittings because they are both cheaper and energy efficient. You need to note that CFL light fittings are difficult to recycle because they contain traces of mercury, which means they are less sustainable for your office environment, in comparison with LED bulbs. If you need more information on viable lighting options for businesses, contact us today!

University Lighting: Providing An Energy-Efficient Campus Environment

A university’s campus is like a small community filled with a variety of people with varying interests. However, one of the areas where the interests are aligned is safety. One of the best ways to ensure safety and security on campus is to improve university lighting.

LED lighting will provide a safe, secure, and energy-efficient environment on campus at all times. LEDs also reduce the cost of operation while satisfying the needs of faculty members and students who can appreciate the benefits of eco-friendly solutions. LEDs also provide outstanding durability in the environments that can place an incredible amount of stress on light bulbs and lighting fixtures, such as a university campus.

Due to the high-quality energy efficiency, LED lighting allows universities to save a significant amount of money on repairs, operating costs, and maintenance costs. When compared to a traditional light bulb, an LED light bulb can consume less than half the energy that the traditional light bulb can. Although an LED light bulb will not consume as much energy as a traditional light bulb, the quality of the LED bulb will not be negatively impacted.

A university needs to have safe walking areas across the entire environment, and college administrators can save a significant amount of money by lighting the campus with LED lights instead of the traditional lights. LED lighting for universities will typically last longer and they will be more reliable and durable than other lighting options your university may have used in the past.

All areas on a university campus can benefit from LED lighting fixtures, and there are different types of fixtures that will fit your university’s classrooms, parking lots, offices, dorms, walkways, etc. With students preparing to head back to campus, now is a great time to make improvements to your university lighting in order to ensure the safety of your university.

For more information on the benefits and advantages of LED university lighting, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

3 Reasons to Light Up Your Cold Storage with LED’s

Everyone is moving towards LEDs. They’re energy-efficient, brighter, and increasingly cheaper. But if you need niche lighting, don’t just look into the general benefits. Here are three reasons why cold storage specifically needs a lighting update.

1. Traditional lights waste space.

A lot of light bulbs give off heat. Even traditional bulbs that are built with cold storage in mind give off too much heat for products near the ceiling to maintain the right temperature. That means your storage is organized with a hefty buffer around the hot bulbs, and that’s bad for business. Every inch of warehousing space matters, especially if your warehouses are competing in the evolution of fast supply lines. You just don’t have room for traditional lights anymore.

2. LEDs work better in the cold.

Traditional bulbs and cold temperatures aren’t a good mix. Fluorescent bulbs need more voltage to get started in low-temperature environments like your cold storage. They also don’t give off as much light. While the bulbs themselves might fall within OSHA guidelines, the reality is that the cold storage may be too dim. Even if your cold storage is organized to allow for heat output, the main problem with cold light bulbs, traditional bulbs aren’t good enough.

LEDs, on the other hand, prefer low temperatures to high ones. They even work more efficiently below freezing than they do at summery temperatures, and that’s on top of LEDs’ general efficiency.

3. It’s easier to make LEDs smarter.

Traditional bulbs burn out all the time, especially in adverse conditions. But you and your site manager don’t always know when that happens. If the bulb for a sensor goes out, you won’t know without a manual inspection. If the overhead lights go out, someone has to stop what they’re doing and replace them. But LEDs can be attached to an internal Internet of Things system. Not only will you get an alert when the LEDs go out, you can get an early warning when the bulbs start to dim.

Contact us to start retrofitting your system and getting the best benefits of LEDs.

Why Do I Need Exterior Lighting for My Business?

Exterior lighting might not be something that all business owners consider when purchasing a new facility, warehouse, parking lot, or other outdoor areas for their company. What many do not know is that having outdoor areas with appropriate lighting can positively impact their business in numerous ways.

Exterior lighting has many benefits, so much so that many individuals even consider it to be a necessity. One large reason for this is safety. Customers are more likely to find a business approachable if it appears to be safe for them and/or their families. Lighting can provide that atmosphere of safety. Criminals are less likely to approach individuals or even attempt to break into a business when there is sufficient lighting in the outdoor areas.

Another benefit of exterior lighting is advertisement. As people are commuting home in the evenings after a long day at work or traveling to and from their children’s after-school activities, they are more likely to notice a business if it is well-lit at night. Signs, billboards, and the building itself naturally draw attention when they have the appropriate amount of lighting. Travelers taking notice of the business itself are more likely to make a visit later.

An additional perk of having outdoor lighting for a business is making the conduction of business a more simple process. Whether it be in the early mornings, dusk, or at night, having proper lighting in the parking lot and around the buildings of one’s business makes deliveries, opening and closing of the business, and loading for customers a much simpler process. This not only makes customers feel invited but also makes them more likely to desire to return in the future and recommending the business to their friends and family members.

If you would like more information on exterior lighting, please contact us. We are here to assist you with all of your commercial lighting needs.

8 Ways in Which LED Lighting Is All Around You

LEDs may be new on the scene but they are already being used a great deal. Many people are currently getting LED lighting upgrades because, as compared to fluorescents, LEDs have a longer life. Plus, they are more energy efficient and emit a cooler light.

You may think that LED lighting is only useful in isolated instances. However, LEDs are often used as indicators i.e., to pass on some kind of message to people. Here are some indicators that we are all familiar with:

  1. Traffic Lights: LED lights are used as traffic lights.
  2. Train Stations and Airports: LEDs are also used on boards that give arrivals and departure information in train stations and airports.
  3. Stadiums: In stadiums as well, LED lights are used on the boards which keep score.
  4. Exit Signs: These are usually made with LED lights.
  5. Ships: Ship navigation lights also make use of LEDs.
  6. Night Vision: LEDs are used when it’s necessary to maintain night vision e.g., airplane cockpits, astronomy observatories etc.
  7. Cars: LED lights have very fast switching times. So they are often used as brake lights in cars. As compared to incandescents, LEDs can light up 0.5 seconds faster. This may not seem like much but it can make all the difference to the car behind you. Similarly, LEDs are also being used for rear lights and headlights in cars and other vehicles.
  8. Glowsticks: LEDs are often used in glowsticks. Although a glowstick is sometimes used as a toy, it can also be used in military, police or fire operations.

So commercial LED lighting may seem like it’s just gaining ground but if you look at the above list, you’ll see that there are many commercial uses of LEDs that we are already familiar with. After all, we’ve all seen traffic lights or been to a baseball game. As a result, we may not know it but we’ve all benefited from the various uses of LED lights.

Contact us for your commercial LED lighting needs.

 

Safety on Campus: How Effective Lighting Means Safer Students

A recent article in The Michigan Daily, the school newspaper of the University of Michigan, reported that students were very concerned about crime in areas where the lighting was poor both at the university and around Ann Arbor in general. According to the article, “Online crime statistics highlight a potential correlation between crime in the city and poorly lit areas.” The statistics show that an assault-type crime is more likely to happen in areas without adequate lighting.

The safety and security of students is a concern for colleges and universities of all sizes, and a primary concern is safety after dark. Classes, meetings, and activities are often held at night. Students spend evening hours on campus studying, sometimes not heading home until after midnight.

Most universities have implemented strategies to help students feel safe on campus, especially after dark. Some of these strategies include apps such as Guardian that will alert a friend if a student encounters trouble, as well as “blue light” kiosks from which a student can call 911. On some campuses, students who are heading home after dark can call a service to request a safety officer walk them home.

Despite measures being taken by college campuses to ensure the safety of their students, the lack of adequate lighting in walkways is still a problem. The reality is that students just do not feel safe walking around campus in the dark. A University of Michigan sophomore stated that “When going to study at night, students have to worry about how they are walking home and if they have friends to walk home with because of the poor lighting. I even have found myself walking home earlier than I wanted to from the library because of the poor lighting on campus. This has definitely impacted my studies.”

American School & University Magazine, a publication devoted to campus design, suggests “well-lighted pathways between destinations help students feel — and stay — safe. Lighting extends to many other areas as well. Consider the lighting inside hallways and stairwells and in parking lots.” As more and more crimes are reported on college campuses, it is increasingly critical that students feel safe.

The concerned Michigan students have started a petition to improve the lighting at the University of Michigan and in the streets of Ann Arbor surrounding the university. The petition called “Bright Students Need Bright Lights” seems to be working, as city officials voted this past March to nearly double their budget for street lighting and to work with university officials to light the areas where students need to walk at night.

To learn more about how effective lighting can have a positive impact on safety, contact us.

Don’t Just Replace Your Light Bulbs: Why Parking Lot Lighting Needs to Be Redesigned Around LEDs

LEDs are a great transformation in lighting, both in the private and public sector. The individual bulbs are more energy-efficient and give a greater degree of control to the operator. They give off less heat, and they last thousands of hours longer than other types of bulbs. But sometimes their brightness and advantages can get in the way of good lighting design. Here are two constraints to plan for when lighting up your parking lots with LEDs.

Bright LEDs create strong shadows.

Bright lighting in potentially dangerous areas creates more good than it creates harm. Parking lots and parking garages with high degrees of illumination deter significant percentages of criminal activity, and it makes people feel safe. But bright light creates harsh shadows, especially if the light is directionally controlled, and the sudden contrast between bright and dim can make it harder to see as people transition to darker areas. Make sure your new lighting design minimizes blind spots and dark patches that can be dangerous for pedestrians and drivers.

Too much brightness can be dangerous in other ways, too. Because the light output of LEDs doesn’t diminish with distance like with other lights, it can increase glare and misperceptions of distance. If you have a lot with tightly-packed, highly reflective cars, this can increase the number of small traffic incidents on your property. Look for designs that minimize glare and any wanted aspects of brightness.

Use LEDs to lower costs instead of increasing illumination too far.

While certain areas need to be brighter for more effective mobility and greater safety, the low price of lighting is making many properties use more light than they necessarily need. When you’re redesigning your lighting system, make sure to find the right balance between increased illumination and decreased expenses. The value of switching to an LED lighting system isn’t just in the brightness; it’s in the long-term savings.

Go to Relumination for more tips about how to design the optimal lighting environment for both your users’ safety and your budget.

Make Shopping at Your Grocery a Better Experience with These Lighting Changes

The fight between physical stores and online vendors will continue for years. Even clothing and groceries industries have faced an increase in online competition as increasingly personalized shopping experiences emerged. Quick shipping has allowed for fresh food deliveries (both for general groceries and pre-packed ingredients for specific meals) and clothing orders that let consumers wear the outfits and return what they don’t like. But that doesn’t mean your grocery store is going to be going out of business. Physical stores still control a hefty portion of the market, and that will continue to stabilize as shoppers look for shopping experience instead of just efficient purchasing.

Make sure your grocery store offers a good experience. Lighting plays a large part of how shoppers feel in your store, so improve your lighting with these three changes:

Have warm, low lighting where shoppers can congregate.

In-store coffee shops have been a growing trend for years, and grocery stores can expand on this with in-store delis and eateries. These sections give your customers a place to relax before or after shopping, and that turns even running errands into a good experience. Make the spaces feel warm and homey with warm lighting. Also, light the tables with individual fixtures under general lighting so the space doesn’t feel industrial.

Use accent lighting to emphasize free samples.

If you’re going to compete against online stores, you have to emphasize what they can’t offer customers: a sensory experience. Add free samples near your bakery and deli so customers can taste and smell featured products. Accent lighting helps draw customers in and directs traffic so they feel more implicitly invited to try the samples.

Use daylight bulbs to replicate sunlight near organic and fresh foods.

Locally sourced foods aren’t just demanded by a small subset of foodies. Even general consumers are increasing demand for locally grown products and ethical foods. If your store doesn’t have a lot of natural lighting, you can use LEDs with daylight-level lumens to light up organic and fresh food sections. It lights up the food without exposing it to extra heat, and the look of natural lighting underlines the message of natural foods, resulting in better sales.

Go to our website to check out how we can help you improve your lighting.

4 Reasons Why Exterior Lighting is Beneficial

You may be wondering if investing in exterior lighting for your business or organization is the right decision. We at Relumination are dedicated to helping you make an educated choice. To aid in the decision-making process, we have developed a short list of 4 reasons why exterior lighting is beneficial for businesses and organizations.

1. Security

While you might have a top-notch security system or other means of securing your facility, exterior lighting offers extra protection against intruders. Having exterior lighting around your structure can stop criminals in their tracks before they even consider entering your facility’s grounds.

2. Safety

Owning and operating your own business or organization can often mean long hours and late nights. Having exterior lights around your property means added safety for you and your employees/volunteers as you lock up and walk to your cars after dark (and even in the early morning hours).

3. Practicality 

Not only does outdoor lighting provide more safety and security, it also provides ease for you as you maneuver the grounds. Whether you are locking or unlocking doors and gates or just loading things into and out of vehicles before the sun has risen or after it has set, exterior lighting helps make these processes easier as you do not have to fumble around with keys and search for things in the dark.

4. Advertisement 

As people are driving home from work or social events in the later hours, what better way for them to see your business or organization’s name than to have a spotlight on it? While lights deter burglars and vandals, they also draw the right kind of attention and put it where it needs to be, and that is on your sign(s) and services offered. This adds advertisement (in addition to security) for your business.

If you would like more information on exterior lighting and the other services that we offer, please contact us. We are here to help with your lighting needs!