Would you like to reduce your business costs and spruce up the workplace in one fell swoop? If so, consider investing in LED lighting.
These days, LED lights for business use are all the rage. It’s easy to see why: they’ve gotten cheaper, and many new modern architectural designs now offer integration with wireless lighting controls (IOT). In fact, the sheer variety of LED options available on the market can lead to shopper confusion.
Don’t have much experience with LED lighting? Here are 3 simple tips that will help you choose quality LED products for your business.
1. Savings – Shop for Lumens
For most of our lives, we’ve been using watts as the yardstick for brightness. We know approximately how much light to expect from a 40-, 60-, or 100-watt bulbs. However, watts only tell you how much energy the bulb will draw.
LED lights also get rated by watts but can provide the same light level using fewer watts e.g. 5-watt MR16 LED lamp produces enough light to replace a 50-watt MR16 halogen lamp that’s 90% less energy used. When selecting LED lamps compare average lumens to match current light levels. The selection of the most efficient LED lamp should play a role in the lighting design of an LED Project. The best LED lamps have the greatest efficiency and produce the greatest savings versus average LED lamps. The long run savings of using high efficiency LED lamps far outweighs any additional costs. In addition to the light level produced the shape of the LED lamp is also important to determine the direction and spread of the light.
2. Commercial Grade Quality vs Price
The price of LED lamps has come down considerably over the last few years, large scale adoption is now being made for both personal use (Residential) and commercial use (Business) but not all LED lamps are created equal. One of the ways LED has been made cheaper is by lowering the quality, specifically using plastic vs aluminum and lower grade drivers within construction of LED lamps. A lower quality LED lamp also means shorter rated life; to some the impact of shorter LED lamp life has minimal effect however the increased maintenance costs and production stoppages for a commercial user can far outweigh the savings gained through buying lower quality LED Lamps. As a business owner you should purchase higher quality LED lamps, the market does offer proven Industrial / Commercial grade LED products made for commercial use and the additional costs are very reasonable.
3. Lighting Quality & Aesthetic Appeal
Back in the day, LEDs lamps came with large fins, multiple diode light sources and distributed harsh white light. Fortunately, this is no longer the case, advancements in aesthetic design and lighting quality have been made. Today we have high quality LED lamps that are hard to distinguish from a traditional Incandescent or halogen lamp. Now LED lamps offer a variety of lighting colours and lens options to help diffuse and spread the light. When buying LED lamps, select higher the grade lamps that have similar appearance to incandescent lamps. Also look at the colour temperature and determine the light colour that matches your space. You’re looking for the Kelvin number — the lower the number, the warmer light is. Here is a chart to help you out:
- 2700-3000K: warm white, ideal for homes and indoor activities
- 3500-4100K: neutral white, good for office workspaces
- 5000-6500K: cool white, Parking Lots, Industrial Facilities, and Hospitals
As a rule of thumb, most businesses would prefer neutral white colours 4100K.
4. Converting Decorative Fixtures to LED when no LED Lamps Exists
If you have decorative incandescent or metal halide fixtures and would like to maintain the look of the fixture but no LED lamps exist as a direct replacement, hire a led consultant to inspect your fixtures for retrofit to LED. A good consultant understands how to retrofit most fixtures to LED and have them certified for safety and legal use in Canada. This way you can enjoy the benefits of LED without changing the look of your facility.
More on LED Lights for Business Use
If you’re not sure about the financial benefits of converting to LED or the proper lighting selection and design speak to TGL consultant Contact us here — we’ll get back to you soon!
