7 Signs You Need New Office Lighting
As much as we at Connected Light are passionate about lighting and its role in everybody’s lives, we know that lighting isn’t always at the top of everyone else’s thoughts.
Perhaps your office lighting was installed many years ago, or you’re not sure what products exist to make a difference to what you already have. But lighting is one of the most important aspects of an office to enable businesses and their staff to be able to work safely and effectively- and offices should always be designed with both compliance and comfort in mind.
With lighting also accounting for around 20% of a commercial building’s electricity usage, it is always a good time to review your lighting needs.
Here are 7 reasons that you might need new lighting in your office.
Your current lighting doesn’t meet regulations.
Potentially the most important one on this list, lighting which doesn’t meet the required standards for your business can cause a lot of issues, especially in the event of an emergency. Your office lighting needs to meet health and safety regulations which cover everything from lux levels to emergency lighting, to be deemed safe and legal to work in.
You’ve had feedback about your office environment.
Everyone has their own ideas about how to make an office more comfortable and inviting, from plants on desks to coffee on tap, but why not start with your lighting? Poor lighting in a workspace can leave workers with nasty side effects such as headaches and eye strain, and even contribute to stress and tiredness. If you’ve had any feedback about uncomfortable working conditions, lighting might be a good place to start.
You want to save money.
There’s no denying it- running an office costs a lot of money. This might even be why you have avoided new lighting in the past, fearing excessive extra costs and disruption to your day-to-day. But new office lighting can actually save you money, through lower outgoing energy costs, reduced maintenance needs and by creating a more productive working environment.
Often, there are also environmental, government-led schemes to help businesses upgrade their lighting, and can provide tax reductions for investments into more sustainable technologies- speak to our team to find out more about the latest grant options available to you.
You’ve recently changed your branding.
Have you had a company branding update recently? Maybe you’ve got a shiny new logo or some new corporate colours, or just a new direction for your business going forward. No matter the changes to your company and what it stands for, this can be reflected in your lighting, offering a consistent brand image and leaving you with fresh lighting to perfectly match your office’s new purpose.
You want more control over your space
Do you want to feel like your office is working with you, rather than just around you? Lighting controls can be programmed to actively respond to your space, saving you time and money. From occupancy sensors to ensure lights are only on when needed, to human-centric lighting to match the outside lighting temperature for a more natural feel, or different programmed settings to choose from for meetings and other events, the possibilities of lighting settings are endless. You can even give staff control over their local lighting, which has been shown to increase job satisfaction.
If your existing controls are failing, or you find them tricky to use, a new control system tailored to your requirements will give you back the freedom to manage your lighting around your needs.
You want to reduce your environmental impact
Many companies around the world are making steps to reduce the impact of their environmental footprint. From a simple upgrade of your fluorescent fittings to more-efficient LED, to daylight harvesting and night time savings where lights are dimmed at specific times of reduced occupancy, there are a number of new technologies which can help reduce your energy used and your overall environmental impact as a business.
Your lighting system is failing more often.
Lighting and control systems have a lifespan like all our technology products. While they can of course be reactively fixed and maintained, it is possible if you have had your lighting for a long time and it is experiencing regular failures that you need an upgrade.
By upgrading to newer kit, you’ll experience fewer breakdowns and reduced downtime, meaning you’ll rely less on electricians and facilities maintenance to fix the lights, causing business disruption. It doesn’t have to be as scary as it sounds- if you’re happy with your lighting layout, with a combination of innovative products and modern technologies like Bluetooth, new lighting can be installed around existing fittings and controls to ensure minimal change. Or, you can design something completely new!
If your office is experiencing any signs which suggest new lighting is the way forward, why not get in touch to find out how we can help?
