Design energy-efficient office lighting to decrease energy costs while maintaining the comfort of your building.
Office buildings have a significant amount of lighting required throughout the property. Employees must be able to see clearly at their desks, and any reception or meeting areas for visitors must be well-lit and create a professional impression. However, keeping those many lights on for several hours every day can quickly increase your spending. To cut back on the expenses related to essential office lighting, you may consider installing energy-efficient office lighting with CMI Lighting professionals. Upgrading your lighting is always a worthwhile investment, and when you work with the experts, you can be sure that you will find the best solutions for your property.
Switch to LED Lights
The first step in designing energy-efficient office lighting is to install LED light bulbs throughout the building. LED bulbs use less power than traditional bulbs while giving out more lumens or brightness. LEDs are also more durable and emit less heat than traditional bulbs. An LED retrofit can be done all at once or in stages to accommodate your budget. When you move to LED bulbs, you will start seeing a decrease in energy expenses.
Incorporate Digital Lighting Controls
Once you have switched to energy-efficient LED bulbs, the next step is incorporating network lighting controls. A networked system lets you control your building’s lights from a central location. This system can provide the following efficient office lighting strategies:
- Time scheduling: turn lights off or on in an area based on a predetermined schedule
- Occupancy/vacancy control: turn lights off or on based on whether a space is occupied or not
- Personal control: employees can control the lighting in their workspaces, which can prevent overlighting
- Daylight harvesting: adjust light levels automatically based on the amount of natural sunlight in any given area.
This lighting control system uses wireless switches, eliminating the need to wire light switches directly to fixtures. The bulbs are connected to a network, allowing them to be monitored and controlled by the web or a mobile app. This system can also give you automatic updates on broken or burnt-out lighting.
Lower Light Levels to Increase Energy-Efficiency
Over-illuminating office buildings is a common mistake. Most people may not even realize that their office is overlit! This is why reducing your light levels can increase your energy efficiency and decrease extra expenses without significantly impacting your office.
You can try setting your fixtures to 100% brightness and gradually decrease it by 5 to 10% every few days. Most companies find that their level is reduced by as much as 46% or 48% before anyone notices that the light has changed.
The best lighting for computer work is when the room’s light is brighter than the computer display. OSHA recommends avoiding bright light sources (such as a window) directly behind your display screen. Instead, position the computer, so they are at a 90-degree angle with the light coming through the window. Supplemental task lighting can also be used near the computer screens to increase the area’s brightness and balance light sources.
If you are interested in designing energy-efficient office lighting, contact CMI Lighting for help from lighting experts. We can help you reduce your energy and money spent on lighting without negatively impacting your employees’ comfort.
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