Lighting Your Office – Key Considerations

If you are in the process of refurbishing your business’ office environment, you will have been making numerous decisions regarding desk furniture, new equipment, furnishings and beyond. One crucial consideration lies in the form of your office’s lighting, though.

Light can have a dramatic effect on workplace productivity and motivation as well as aesthetics – but what should you be thinking about when it comes to new lighting solutions?

LED Vs. Fluorescent

The foremost choice for your office lighting is between two specific types of fixtures: fluorescent lights, and LED lights. Fluorescent lights are the quintessential form of lighting found in the modern office, being vacuum lamps containing noble gases that glow when supplied power. LED lights have existed for decades as indicator lamps, but only recently have high-powered LED lighting solutions become viable for lighting spaces.

The differences between the two are palpable. Fluorescent lights can be inexpensive to obtain and install, but also require additional circuitry in the form of a lighting ballast to run effectively. Some LED installations require ballasts too, but of different construction. Also, many modern LED solutions are self-ballasted.

Natural Light

The next consideration you should make relates not to your light installation, but instead to the provision of natural light to your working space. Natural light cannot be relied upon to illuminate your working environment entirely, but it can have a real effect on worker motivation and productivity.

Natural light should be used effectively where possible, by keeping sightlines to windows free and clear of furniture. Mirrors can also be used to increase the amount of natural light in an office.

Color and Temperature

Different light sources provide light at different colors and temperatures. These colors and temperatures can have their own effects on a space, from aesthetic impacts to productivity impacts. Colder hues are more conducive to wakefulness, mimicking as they do the blue tint of daylight.

Warmer colors may not be appropriate for a bright, productive office environment, but can be used for decorative purposes. Warm lighting over shelves with company achievements can create a focal point for visitors, for example.

Energy Efficiency

Lastly, a key factor in your ultimate lighting decision is energy efficiency. Climate change has become more readily apparent to the average citizen, as untenable weather patterns emerge as a result of human-caused pollutive action. There is renewed pressure on businesses to shoulder a proportional level of responsibility concerning their energy usage, from reliance on fossil fuels to the efficiency of the office.

Certain lighting solutions are much more energy efficient than others, which can have a profound impact on the overall carbon footprint of the location. They can also have a strong impact on your business’ overheads, reducing energy bills and saving money in the process.