Any company needs to consider both interior lighting and exterior lighting for businesses. When thinking about lighting, there are three big issues that need to be balanced: attracting the right sort of attention and business, providing a lighting design that is good for employees, and saving money.
Attracting the Right Sort of Attention
It is exterior lighting for businesses that will usually do the most to attract customers, clients, partners or other outsiders to consider your company. Exterior lighting for businesses needs to feel both welcoming and safe; but you need to avoid anything garish or that looks like an obvious waste of energy. If done right, exterior lighting for businesses can do more than retail marketing to bring people in the doors. Even if your business is closed after dark, good lighting lets people know that the business is there and still makes it feel welcoming.
Nothing says “stay away” like a dark store front. It might look closed, or it might even look vaguely menacing. Plus, people perceive well-lit areas to be safe, and there’s a reason for that. Exterior lighting is safety. With some sensibly installed architectural lighting outside, exterior lighting for businesses can deter criminals who can’t hide their features so easily, as well as make it easier to identify and catch any that do come around. Just be sure you’re thinking about lighting the walkways and paths, not just putting flood lights on the front door.
Once customers, clients, or partners are inside, you want them to be happy to stay there. Know the kind of light you the look you want inside and get the right kind of bulbs for your needs. If you want a bluer white light, LED bulbs marked as 4200-6500K will help you achieve that look, while 3000-4100K give a whiter light. If you’re after a warm yellow light, try bulbs market 2700-2900K.
Lighting for Employees
The American Society of Interior Design conducted a study which found that 68% of employees dislike their office lighting. The custom lighting you install indoors can have a huge affect on anyone who is spending a lot of time there. When some workers were tested in offices that had natural light, it was found they averaged 46 minutes more sleep at night than those who worked in places without natural light, and they were also most likely to go exercising after work. A lighting design that allows natural light while also delivering clear inside light is good for employees.
The right lighting has more than just these after-work benefits: it can make employees more efficient and productive at work. Cornell University did a study which found workers were 3% to 5% more productive when LED lights were installed, and that LED lighting in production facilities helped workers to see better, enhancing productivity and cutting down on mistakes.
Cutting Costs
Naturally you want to achieve good productivity and enhance employee health, as well as attract people to your company; but you do not want to break the bank to do it. Currently, lighting costs are about 18% of all the energy used in commercial buildings, and about 22% of all of America’s electricity use is used for lighting. Efficiency is important in both interior and exterior lighting.
The first step to making your lighting use efficient is to understand it. Make sure you know where you have lights, that they are all in working order, and then monitor your usage for a short while. This will give you a baseline to work from. Then identify places you could cut costs and consider seeking specialists to help you discover where you could put in energy-saving measures and what would be best for your goals.
Lighting at a business can either be a burden or an enhancement to your bottom line. The right lighting will send a good message to those outside and benefit those inside, while also reducing your energy costs.