Why LED Lighting Improves Office Productivity

An optimal office environment requires more than keeping it well lit, maintaining a comfortable temperature, and providing workers with the right tools. These are only the basics and don’t include more subtle environmental factors. Subtle effects such as the brightness of the lighting and its spectrum of color components, play an important role throughout the course of the work day. Although you can, with some effort and focus, achieve spectacular productivity in less than ideal conditions for an hour or two, the subtle environmental effects will take their toll over the course of the day and workweek.

Light brightness can produce eyestrain when it’s too dim. Unfortunately, many office environments overcompensate with lighting that’s too bright. This produces fatiguing glare and likewise causes eyestrain. The right amount of light will vary depending on the task. The ideal lighting that reduces computer screen glare for example, is different from that required for reading text off a sheet of paper, which depends on reflected light. This is solved with an adjustable light source for the different types of work. LED lighting readily accommodates this.

LED lighting is unique in that it is whiter than other types of lighting. The reason is that its light has a fuller color spectrum and closely resembles sunlight (minus the UV rays). Specifically, LEDs have more blue light.

It’s this blue light that boosts your mood and alertness when outdoors on a sunny day. This means that workers in LED lit rooms without windows will not feel like they’re working in brightly lit caves. The blue light component boosts their mood, alertness and productivity. Unlike a window however, the weather won’t affect the output of an LED light.

Some have exploited this “outdoor lighting” effect by installing LED panels in the ceiling that look like skylights. Others have taken this further and devised LED ceiling panels that simulate white clouds floating under a blue sky.

When considering the period required for LED lighting to pay for itself, most estimates only take energy savings into consideration.

High Productivity and Safety Start with Your Warehouse & Distribution Center Lighting

Thanks to the rise of online stores (e-commerce), distribution centers that cater to this industry are busier than ever. They take orders from online store owners, and ship the products directly to the stores’ customers. This means that a high volume of goods are shipped every day in the form of small orders. Pulling this off efficiently is essential to staying competitive, and many of these warehouses try to cope by using sophisticated productivity technology.

However, if you manage such an operation, you shouldn’t overlook the basics, such as warehouse lighting. Your lighting affects productivity in a number of ways. Poor lighting causes more product picking errors from the inventory shelves. This means that the wrong products are shipped to customers, which result in costly product returns and lost customers.

Poor lighting also leads to eyestrain and worker fatigue. This is particularly the case when using dim and flickering fluorescent lights. Worker fatigue hurts you in two ways. First, tired workers are less productive, which means your operation’s efficiency suffers. Second, tired workers make more mistakes, which compounds the product picking error problem.

Poor lighting also increases accidents, especially in warehouses bustling with activity. Busy people sharing dimly lit aisles with busy forklifts are accidents waiting to happen. Inefficient lighting also puts out a lot of waste heat. This extra heat can make your warehouse unbearable during the summer months, which will require expensive air conditioning to keep your workers productive.

Many companies are solving their warehouse & distribution center lighting problems with LED lighting. Its bright and uniformly distributed output solves the visibility and eye fatigue problem. Unlike fluorescent lighting, it doesn’t flicker. LED lights are also energy efficient. Lighting converts electricity into heat and light. Efficient lighting turns more of that electricity into light, and less into heat. This reduced heat output means you can keep your workers cool with less air conditioning in the summer. This results in less energy consumption by your air conditioners and your lighting. Another benefit is reduced maintenance costs thanks to the longer life of LED lighting.

In conclusion, LED lighting increases the efficiency of your distribution center, and saves money on energy consumption and maintenance. Before spending a fortune on sophisticated productivity technology, try using better lighting first.

New Lighting Technology for Energy-Efficiency

To achieve better illumination, industrial, manufacturing, and commercial sites are retrofitting old metal halide and high-pressure sodium lighting systems with next generation LED lighting. In the process, those sites are realizing substantial energy-efficiency benefits from those LED lighting systems.

An LED lighting system can generate the same or better luminosity as a traditional lighting systems while consuming less than half the electrical energy as a traditional system might require. The costs of retrofitting a traditional industrial or commercial lighting system with an LED system will be recouped in twelve to eighteen months after installation solely from reduced energy utilization. Next generation LED systems can operate for up to 50,000 hours continuously, and in some cases for more than 100,000 hours. This reduces maintenance and replacement costs as well.

Newer LED systems have also responded to the criticisms of degrading luminosity that had affected the first generation of LED’s. LED manufacturers have developed heat sink technology and other systems that reduce the thermal load on LED luminaires. Reduced thermal loads extend the life and performance of LED’s and keep fixtures operating at peak performance for several years.

Industrial and commercial sites that retrofit with LED systems will also experience secondary energy efficiency benefits from improved employee safety and performance. LED lighting is closer to natural lighting than traditional illumination systems. Employees are better able to distinguish fine detail and contrasting features in objects under LED light. These improvements lead to reduced employee fatigue and better overall operational efficiency.

 

Protect Your Customers, Protect Your Business

You want to protect your business, and you also want your customers to feel safe.  How can you accomplish that with a minimum of expense?  Parking lot lighting can go a long way toward all these ends when done properly.

Protect Your Business

Outside lights are a big deterrent to criminals.  The LAPD lists outdoor lighting as a way to protect your business, and the city of Charleston, SC calls lighting the “most cost-effective deterrent to crime.”  If the police are telling everyone that lighting is one of the best ways to keep criminals at bay, shouldn’t we listen?

Keep Your Customers Safe

Safety and security are not the same.  According to FacilitiesNet, Safety requires light to see tripping hazards, while security requires lighting that allows people to see faces, etc.  Both under-lighting and over-lighting increase certain risks.  That’s why it’s important to have a professional examine your space and work out the safest plan with a company that has nearly 10 years of experience.

Don’t Spend Too Much

Lighting is one of the least expensive options you have for adding security to your business.  Compared to a security company or lots of locks and bars on the windows, lighting is quite an appealing choice.  But what about running all those lights?  We use LED lights, which drastically cuts your costs.  Suddenly, you don’t have to worry about your wallet when it comes to lighting.

There are so many reasons to invest in outdoor lighting for your parking lot, we can only list a few here.

Three Reasons to Invest in LED Lighting for Your Emergency Lights

Emergency lighting comes in many forms, but few compare to LED lighting for its benefits and features. If you’ve been considering LED lighting but haven’t decided yet, here are three key reasons why you may want to take the leap.

LED Lights Dissipate Heat – Many people mistakenly believe that LED lights are cool because they don’t produce any heat. The truth is, every light generates heat. The difference in LED lights is that they dissipate that heat so that the lights don’t heat up. This makes them ideal for emergency lighting, because they won’t create hot spots on the lens covers of the lights or add significant heat to a building that has no active cooling system running.

LED Lights Are Energy Efficient – LED light production is measured according to how much light they emit per watt of power consumed, also referred to as lumens per watt. Most LED lighting produces more light per watt than a traditional compact fluorescent bulb. When it comes to emergency lighting, the more light you can get on limited power, the better.

LED Lights Burn Out Gradually – LED light bulbs have a longer lifespan than traditional light bulbs. Like all bulbs, though, they will burn out eventually. Unlike standard bulbs, LED lights don’t burn out at once. They fade gradually, giving you a chance to identify a failing light before you’re left in the dark. This is important for emergency lights, because the last thing you want is emergency lighting failing all at once when a bulb burns out.

LED Lighting Can Brighten the Work Place

With the ever-mounting concerns about reducing energy usage and hazardous wastes, now is the time to consider your options, including LED lighting.

According to energy.gov, legislation passed in 2007 requires that bulbs currently manufactured and sold in the US must be about 25% more efficient than the old-style incandescent bulbs. The light bulbs we find on store shelves now commonly include halogen incandescents, CFLs (compact flourescent lights) and LEDs (light emitting diodes).

So what is the best lighting choice for your business?  There are many things to consider: indoors or outdoors, height, temperature, frequency of turning the light off and on, and how long the light will remain on each time it’s activated.

LED lighting has many advantages. Energy.gov says that while CFLs last about 10 times as long as the traditional incandescents, LEDs last about 25 times as long and use less electricity. Using LEDs reduces waste in landfills (longer life span=fewer bulbs in the dump) and in the air (better efficiency=less toxic emissions from power plants).

Another advantage is that LEDs do not contain mercury, a toxin involved in producing light in CFLs. So, when the LED’s lifetime does expire, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you aren’t adding to the toxic buildup in the landfills.

What about the energy wasted in heat? The Lighting Research Center says that the small amount of heat generated in an LED is “dissipated through convection and conduction” and directed into a heat sink.

Because LED bulbs are plastic, workspaces are safer without the fear of broken glass bulbs or spilled mercury.

LED Lighting And Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time is in full effect. Some people enjoy this time of the year because the extra hour of sleep. However, others are never thrilled about seeing nightfall come quickly. This change will have an impact on your ability to have the outdoor lighting you need.

Your lighting, or lack thereof, can help or hurt your business. Many people do not like shopping at stores or walking through parking lots when it is dark. The right mixture of lights can highlight your business, hospital, parking lot, etc. You do not have to flood your parking lot or the outside walkway with lights that are too bright and a little annoying.

You can use lights that you can place along your walkway. This will give your customers and employees enough light, and it will also help them see where they are going during the dark evenings and nights. There are several LED lighting options for you to choose from, including solar lights. When you use solar lighting, you do not have to worry about plugging and unplugging lights or buying replacement batteries.

It does not matter what type of lights you will choose to put outside, you will want to make sure the lights fit the style of your business. You will also want to make sure the lights are subtle. No one will be hesitant from navigating from your walkway or parking lot during the dark.

LED Lighting: The Best Solution

Did you know that incandescent light bulbs are no longer being manufactured in the United States? Those lights we have relied on since Thomas Edison invented them back in the 1800s are no longer available for sale. So where does that leave you for your business lighting needs? There are two primary solution options available to businesses: CFL and LED lighting. While both have their advantages, only LED lighting comes out on top when it comes to replacing your incandescent or fluorescent bulbs when they burn out.
Relumination has a the information and tools you need to make the switch to LED lighting. While LED bulbs have a higher initial cost than incandescent or CFL bulbs, their operating cost is much lower, and over the (very long) lifetime of the bulb, your business will ultimately save money on your energy costs. An LED lighting solution will last for up to 10 years of regular use. And LED lighting uses less power, while still delivering the same equivalent light output, which makes their operating cost pennies a day. This is compared to a traditional incandescent bulb which costs dollars a day to operate, if left on all the time.
Each business is unique and requires a unique solution, but all businesses can benefit from the switch to LED lighting. Relumination can help you answer the questions you may have, and will help you develop a plan for lighting your business with LED lighting.

How to redesign your restaurant and incorporate functional lighting in the redesign!

Part and parcel of being a restaurateur is knowing how to make your restaurant look as good as the food you make.

With that in mind, here are some great restaurant design tips and tricks that also incorporate functional restaurant lighting in the design:

  • Before you even meet with an interior designer and/or a contractor, you need to assess your personality. Yes, your restaurant is not only an extension of your food, but of your personality as well. For example, ambient lighting is perfect for a small, romantic cafe, but bright fluorescent lighting is perfect for a large, industrial-style diner. Both types of lighting, of course, can be made energy-efficient!
  • Position your brand accordingly, especially if you have exclusivity in a market. For example, if you’re the only restaurant in town that offers brick oven pizza, positioning your brand as the onlybrick oven pizza restaurant in town will make you stand out from the rest.. and give you dominance in the market.
  • Don’t ignore the small details: even the silverware that you pick out for your restaurant matters.
  • The decorations you choose in the restaurant should also be in line with the rest of the theme, as well.

Of course, the design of a restaurant shouldn’t be taken lightly, and is best done by a professional. In addition to providing tips on decor and construction, a true professional can incorporate the best lighting solutions into his/her design.. and that’s where we come in. Relumination, LLC specializes in helping companies of all sizes reduce energy costs, lower maintenance expenses, decrease their environmental footprint and improve their quality of light through energy-efficient lighting solutions.

Save More Than You Expect by Using Solar LED Lighting

There are some really great savings when using solar-powered LED parking lot lighting.

The company saves a lot of time and money on installation.  No wire has to run underground to the lights.  Good money stays in your bank account just because it doesn’t have to pay for the wire.  Even more money stays with you because you don’t have to pay an electrician to lay the wire.  An additional benefit is the lack of a system of buried wires to deal with.

If a storm or accident knocks down a light, repair takes a lot less work.  The electrician bills for a lot less time and takes a lot less time too.  They do not have to find the breaker and shut down the outside lighting.  They do not have to replace wiring, a job that can easily cost more than when they originally installed it.  An added benefit is the fact that a downed pole carries no dangerous electrical charge.

Because LEDs use about ten percent of the power, the business owner would save a lot of money on power if it did tap the mains.  Solar lighting uses zero watts of metered electricity.

There is nothing for copper thieves to steal.  The business owner saves the cost of stolen copper, the cost of damage, and the cost of insuring against that damage.  Call that a hidden saving.  The business also saves on dealing with safety hazards caused by copper thieves leaving exposed hot wires.

In some areas there are also tax breaks and energy rebates for LED lighting, new and retrofit.