High-Efficiency Business Lighting

 

You may be surprised to learn that lighting can take a larger share of a building’s electricity use than any other single end use. As a result, it’s essential that you consider transitioning from less-efficient commercial lighting to more efficient options like LEDs. Here are the main benefits for commercial and industrial businesses who make the transition to energy-efficient lighting:

LED LIGHTING IMPROVES OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY

Proper lighting is crucial for workplace productivity and often influences employee perception, mood, and performance. Studies have proven that harsh and inadequate lighting decreases everyday productivity. By opting LED lights which mimic natural light and have higher CRI, business owners all over the world are improving productivity among employees and create the perfect work environment. This is probably the biggest benefit of using LED lighting in offices.

LED LIGHTING REGULATES CIRCADIAN RHYTHM

For those who don’t know, circadian rhythms are part of our biological process that influences physiological process. Lighting is a big influencer of circadian rhythms but traditional lighting products weren’t designed keeping them in mind. Thankfully, modern LED lighting products are.

In offices and workplaces, circadian lighting plays an important role in employee productivity and health. Modern LED lights are designed with circadian rhyme in mind whereas old incandescent bulbs weren’t. A study found that office workers exposed to circadian lighting performed 10 to 25% better than their counterparts. Learn more about circadian lighting.

LED LIGHTS ARE ENERGY EFFICIENT

With power costs rising all over the world, power saving LED lights are a boon for corporate offices and commercial spaces. In comparison to incandescent or old traditional lights, LED saves about 70% of energy, resulting in substantial savings in the long run. In offices or workplaces where lighting is required around the clock, LED lights have even bigger benefits.

Power efficiency is the major reasons why businesses and commercial centers are making provision of using LED lighting in new projects and also undertaking LED upgrade in old ones.

LED PRODUCTS HAVE LONG LIFESPAN

Quality LEDs have an expected lifespan of 50,000 hours or longer. While a typical incandescent bulb lasts only about 1,000 hours, a compact fluorescent lamp lasts for about 8,000 to 10,000 hours. Low lifespan after to the replacement and maintenance cost for commercial establishments.

With a longer operational life, LED lighting products eliminate the need of frequent replacement in offices and workplaces, thus achieving a low maintenance lighting system.

LED LIGHTING PRODUCES LESS HEAT

Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED lights have low operating temperature and hence don’t generate a lot of heat like their counterparts. The heat generated from lighting units come together to influence temperature in the office space.

Traditional lighting due their heat generating nature often pushes the air conditioners to work harder which makes them consume more energy. LED lighting products check such wastage and reduce the power bills as well.

LED lighting means no bugs

It is widely known fact that you won’t have to struggle with bugs and insects if you have deployed LED lighting in your home or office. This is because LED lighting products emit very little heat from their lighting source which reduces their appeal to moths and bugs. Old incandescent lights on the other hand are bug magnets because of the heat and UV rays they dispense. This is the reason why office managers go for modern LED lighting rather than old traditional lighting products.

LED LIGHTING IS ECO-FRIENDLY

The carbon emission of LED light is 514 lbs of CO2 per year which is much lower in comparison to carbon emissions of incandescent bulbs. Higher the carbon emission, greater the harm your lighting unit is doing to the environment.

The demand of LED lights is increasing steadily amongst environment conscious businesses because of their low emission carbon footprint. This amazing feature of LED lighting should score the highest in the benefits of LED lighting in offices.

LED LIGHTING CREATES NO NOISE

Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED lights don’t produce any noise even after being used for years. Most incandescent lights have the common complaint of buzzing sound during the power shift or fluctuation. In office setting, the buzzing and harsh sound breaks employee concentration and disrupts work flow.

Installing LED lights in your office thus will bring the benefit of fewer disruptions and also provide adequate lighting in the workplace.

LEDS ARE STURDIER

LEDs are strong lighting devices that use semiconductor material rather than a filament or neon gas. A LED light is a tiny microchip element enclosed in plastic material. This is what makes the LED lighting products stronger than the traditional incandescent lighting bulbs or tubes. The fact that LED lighting products sourced from top quality LED manufacturers can easily bear multiple falls is one of the biggest benefits of LED lighting.

LED LIGHTING IS SMART LIGHTING

Smart lighting continues to gain popularity due to its amazing features like scheduling, dimming and wireless control. The ability to remotely control the lighting and influence the atmosphere of your offices with a single click is the major benefit of smart lighting. Smart lighting also eases the burden of office administration staff and simplifies management for them.

LED LIGHTING PRODUCTS ARE SAFE

Employee safety is one of the top priorities in commercial spaces, and there is nothing more secure than modern LED lighting. LED light has no mercury and gives away very less heat. The ultraviolet rays produced by LED light are negligible as compared to incandescent light bulbs.

Such health benefits are popularizing the usage of LED lighting in shopping centers, IT companies, commercial areas, supermarkets, hospitals, schools, colleges, government offices, etc.

OPERATIONAL IN EXTREME CLIMATES

For LED lighting products are ideal for operating efficiently in cold and low temperature settings. Unlike other fluorescent lamps, they don’t product dim lighting in extremely cold temperatures and deliver a superior lighting experience. Another benefit of LED lighting is that they don’t require warm up time and provide instant light on switching ON. This is why LED lighting products are gaining more acceptance and popularity in colder regions.

LED LIGHTS WORK ON LOW VOLTAGE

Unlike traditional incandescent lights, LED lights work on low voltage. This feature allows offices & workplaces with LED lighting to work even in low or dim power supply conditions. While incandescent bulbs could get damaged during low power supply, LED lighting doesn’t get fused while working on low voltage supply.

DO I QUALIFY FOR COMMERCIAL LIGHTING REBATES THROUGH MY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE?

Your cooperative may be offering this rebate program to commercial, industrial and agricultural cooperative business members who make the transition to more energy-efficient lighting options. Only members with more than 10 light fixtures at their installation site will qualify. The rebate amount will be determined prior to installation and calculated based on an audit of existing and replacement lighting. The total rebate amount is limited to $30,000 per member per year.

Rebates for energy-efficient commercial lighting may be taxable, so please consult your tax advisor. If your rebate amount is more than $600, it will be reported to the IRS by your cooperative as income to you on IRS Form 1099 unless you have identified yourself as a corporation or as tax-exempt. Your cooperative is not responsible for any taxes that may be imposed on you as a result of the rebate. Contact your cooperative prior to any lighting retrofit to ask if they participate in the lighting rebate program.

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE IN MY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES COMMERCIAL LIGHTING REBATE PROGRAM?

If you’re interested in participating in your electric cooperatives commercial lighting rebate program, simply follow these five steps:

Step 1 - A walk-through of your facility must be conducted by the cooperative or designated representative to audit the existing lighting inventory. Contact your local electric cooperative to schedule an appointment.

Step 2 - Work with your lighting vendor or maintenance personnel to select the new, energy-efficient lighting equipment you want to install. Provide your local cooperative with a list of the proposed lights; including the type, wattage and price per fixture.

Step 3 - Your cooperative will enter both the existing and proposed lighting into the Take Control & Save commercial lighting calculator to develop an estimate of the rebate amount your lighting upgrade is eligible to receive.

Step 4 - Install the new lighting, then contact your electric cooperative for a final audit of your commercial building to verify installed lighting. Provide your cooperative with a detailed invoice that includes the number of lights installed, wattage and price per fixture.

Step 5 - Your cooperative will reconcile the invoices with the proposed fixtures entered in the Take Control & Save business lighting calculator before issuing the rebate.