Our Guide to Energy-Efficient Lighting for Businesses

No matter what type of business you run, energy is expensive.

It’s estimated that lighting alone uses 20% of the UK’s electricity supply. With such substantial amounts dedicated to keeping the lights on, finding ways to make savings can boost your productivity and curb your carbon footprint.

 With that in mind, here’s everything you must know about switching to energy-efficient lighting.

What is energy-efficient lighting?

Energy-efficient lighting is about getting sufficient illumination without using lots of electricity to do it. The fact is that traditional incandescent lamps used in the past lost around 95% of their energy input as heat, with the remaining 5% used to produce visible light.

Already, it’s easy to see how energy-efficient lighting can save businesses tremendous amounts on their energy bills annually. The cornerstone of the UK’s switch to Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) is using a greater portion of electricity input to produce visible light.

LEDs are as bright as incandescent lamps but use 80% less electricity to produce this light. It’s why there’s been a massive government push to get more businesses to make the switch.

What is the best lighting for energy efficiency in a commercial building?

LEDs are the gold standard for energy efficiency in commercial buildings. Nearly all of the energy they use is converted into visible light rather than heat.

Moreover, LEDs are always safer. Touch an incandescent or halogen lamp burning for an hour, and you may receive a nasty burn. Most LEDs are relatively cool to the touch, reducing the risk of accidental burns.

Alongside their energy efficiency, LEDs are also designed to last longer. Here’s a comparison of LED vs. traditional lamps:

·  LEDs – 25,000-50,000 lighting hours

·  Fluorescent – 8,000-10,000 lighting hours

·  Incandescent – 1,000 lighting hours

Businesses can also further improve their LED lighting setups by creating motion-activated lighting systems, meaning if nobody is inside a room, the lights will automatically switch themselves off.

Begin your journey to becoming a more energy-efficient business with the help of Wells Electrical Contractors. Our team can design, install and maintain your new LED-powered lighting system for a single, transparent price under the guidance of a team with decades of collective experience. To learn more about LED lighting, today.

What should businesses consider when choosing energy-efficient lighting?

Not every lighting solution was made equal. With so many brands and models on the market, what should you consider when choosing energy-efficient lighting?

Ask yourself these questions:

·  What are my lighting goals?

·  What are my needs?

·  How energy-efficient are these lights?

·  What are the pros and cons of each lighting option?

·  Are they dimmable?

·  Are they compatible with our existing fixtures?

·  What are the maintenance requirements for these lights?

·  What are the costs of installing these lights?

Or, let our team answer them for you and find you the best installation solution.

The benefits of commercial energy-efficient lighting

Businesses switch to energy-efficient lights for various reasons. Thankfully, these lights offer benefits on multiple fronts, making them the smart choice for commercial operations in every industry.

Here are some reasons to make the transition to LED lighting.

Save money

Rising energy costs have made businesses think about how they can make savings. Today, the average cost of electricity for a UK small business is £6,062 a year. LEDs alone can save hundreds of pounds annually.

Reduce your carbon footprint

LEDs are a sustainable choice, enabling you to reduce your carbon footprint. Some of the ways they benefit the environment include:

·  Reduced greenhouse gas emissions

·  Lower energy demand

·  Increased resource efficiency

·  Reduced heat and lighting emissions

Lower your maintenance costs

LEDs enjoy a substantially longer lifespan, enabling you to spend less on maintenance across your entire lighting system. Naturally, fewer lamp replacements mean less spending on lamps and calling someone from maintenance to fit them.

Improve your lighting quality

Older LEDs were often criticised for their lighting quality, but things have changed. You no longer have to wait minutes for the right amount of illumination. Moreover, LEDs offer a range of colours, temperatures and overall ambience.

Plus, it’s worth mentioning LEDs come with more features, such as dimmability, directional lighting control, and better compatibility with older lighting setups.

You’re no longer locked into a limited range of lighting options!

How a business can switch to energy-efficient lighting

Every business’s journey to energy-efficient lighting differs. Truthfully, it largely depends on your existing electrical infrastructure and lighting setup.

Businesses in modern buildings may already have everything they need to move to energy-efficient lighting. For them, it could be a case of doing nothing more than changing out the lamps.

However, other businesses may have to consider new fixtures and even a total rewiring of the building. Plus, certain commercial operations may have to consider even more stringent health and safety regulations regarding electrical safety.

We recommend contacting an expert like Wells Electrical Contractors. We’ve got over 15 years of experience and are a CHAS-affiliated supplier of electrical systems. Our technicians can expect your building and determine what you must do to make the switch safely and with a minimal amount of disruption.

How lighting maintenance can help with energy efficiency

 Our team often works with the same businesses for years, providing an array of electrical services and maintenance. One of the aspects people forget about switching to energy-efficient lighting is the impact of lighting maintenance.

Hiring an electrician to change out lamps every few weeks is a poor use of time and resources. Unfortunately, with incandescent lamps lasting a mere 1,000 lighting hours, this was long the reality for the UK’s business community.

Today, things have changed.

LEDs enjoy up to 50,000 lighting hours, meaning you keep maintenance to a minimum. Your electrician can work with you to schedule regular maintenance for your lighting system that keeps things as affordable as possible.

Should your business upgrade to LED lighting?

Upgrading to LED lighting may sound like an extra hassle, but it also delivers enormous benefits to how you operate. Over a decade, you could save thousands of pounds on your energy bills – and in a climate of exponentially rising energy bills, this is no small benefit.

If you’re unsure about switching, here are some great reasons to do it:

Cost-Effectiveness – LED lamps will save you a massive amount on your energy bills, even though they are more expensive to purchase upfront.

Energy-Efficiency – No lighting option is more energy-efficient than LEDs. These are the gold standard, enabling you to reduce your carbon footprint.

Maintenance – LEDs are the lighting option for the business that doesn’t like maintenance. It’s no exaggeration to say that a single LED could last a business for years.

Flexibility – These lamps produce more natural-feeling light, with options to mimic sunlight or create certain ambiences, whether at the entrance to a restaurant or the boardroom.

Sustainability – Bolster your green credentials with one of the simplest actions you can take. LEDs are among the most impactful pound-for-pound moves you can make to turn your business green.

Begin your journey to becoming a more energy-efficient business with the help of Wells Electrical Contractors. Our team can design, install and maintain your new LED-powered lighting system for a single, transparent price under the guidance of a team with decades of collective experience. To learn more about LED lighting, contact us today.