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Although they’ve been used for far longer, traditional lights are not the only option to illuminate office spaces. These lights tend to consume high power and can cause glare on screens, which may annoy and distract employees.
Several office managers have upgraded their spaces using LED lights, which offer numerous advantages compared to traditional lamp types.
Most notably, the energy-saving properties and their ability to create a pleasant and comfortable environment inside an office make LED lights more suitable. This article will highlight the seven main reasons that make LED lights a better choice for office environments.
7 Reasons Why LED Lights Are The Better Choice For Office Lighting
LED Lights Produce Natural Light
Since employees spend a large portion of their day in an office, office lighting is an essential element in the space that often influences the employees’ mood, perception and performance.
A study by the American Society Of Interior Design shows that 68% of workers or employees complain about the lighting in their office, which can result in almost a 10% loss in worker productivity.
LED lights are capable of producing light output that mimics natural light, is soft on the eyes and has a high CRI. Businesses using LED lights note significant improvements in productivity among the staff as these lights create an excellent environment for employees.
Moreover, the fact that LED lights can create such a positive effect on the space and employees at a fraction of the energy used by traditional sources makes these solutions more sustainable and highly suited for office environments.
Interesting Fact: LEDs with a colour temperature of around 5000K–6500K closely resemble daylight, making them ideal for improving mood and productivity and reducing eye strain in indoor environments.
LED Lights Save Energy And Money
One of the significant reasons managers use LED lights in offices is to cut down on electricity bills.
Compared to traditional lamps such as fluorescent bulbs, LED lights consume approximately 20% of the energy consumption to produce the same or improved quality of lighting.
The capacity to save 80% on energy is reflected in an 80% cash saving on the lighting electric bill. And with worldwide energy costs on the rise, energy-saving LED lights have become the best alternative for offices.
This significant difference in energy consumption is due to the physics of traditional and LED lights. With traditional lights, only 20% of the power consumed is turned into light output, while 80% of the energy is converted to heat loss that is generally dissipated in the office.
LED lights, on the other hand, convert almost all the energy consumed into light output with no heat loss.
Interesting Fact: LED lights use at least 75% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times longer, making them one of the most cost-effective and energy-efficient lighting options available.
Interesting Fact: Switching to LED lights can save the average household up to $225 per year on energy bills.
LED Lights Have A Long Life
Traditional light sources tend to burn out rapidly, are usually fragile and break easily, which leads to frequent and expensive bulb replacement. Alternatively, LED lights are resistant to vibrations, shocks and other external forces such as vandalism and can, therefore, avoid or greatly reduce the need for constant bulb replacement.
Moreover, LED lights have long life spans of up to 50,000 and even 80,000 hours – almost five times longer than the average life of compact fluorescents and around 30 times longer than that of incandescent bulbs – guaranteeing a long life and a much less frequent need for replacement.
This also translates into further minimizing the need to replace the bulbs
LED Lights Are Environmentally Friendly
Given that LED lights are semiconductors, they do not contain any toxic chemicals that might harm employees or negatively affect the environment.
Unlike fluorescent bulbs, which contain mercury and may cause a health hazard to employees if damaged, LED lights are completely environmentally friendly.
Additionally, one LED light emits 514 lbs of CO2 per year, which is far lower than the carbon emissions of incandescent bulbs. LED lights are also recyclable, which lowers landfill waste disposal and eliminates pollution to the environment.
LED Lights Produce Less Heat
Business owners are adopting more LED lights in their offices because they have a low operating temperature, unlike traditional sources of light. The heat emitted from traditional bulbs usually dissipates within the office environment, raising the temperature of the space and creating an uncomfortable environment for the employees.
To offset the temperature rise, air conditioning systems work at higher cooling capacities, thereby consuming more power, and further raising the electric bills. Using LED lights removes the discomfort and the increased energy expenditure from the extra air conditioning and the additional burden on the electricity bills.
Interesting Fact: Unlike traditional bulbs, LED lights emit 90% less heat, keeping your home cooler and reducing the need for extra air conditioning
LED Lights Don’t Attract Insects
Old incandescent lights are attractive to moths and bugs because they dispense heat and UV rays, drawing insects into office spaces towards the light. LED lights do not emit UV rays and produce insignificant amounts of heat, making them far less attractive to insects and adding a further advantage for office managers to use them.
LED Lights Operate In Harsh Climates
You can readily use LED Light products in extreme climates, like cold or low-temperature settings. Unlike traditional lights, which produce dim levels in extreme temperatures, LED lights give superior lighting. They are also designed to withstand harsh conditions without burning out or breaking.
Additionally, LED lights offer instant illumination when switched on. Compared to traditional sources that have a long warm-up time before illuminating the entire space, LED lights allow instant light.
LED lights are energy-efficient, produce a better quality of light, have a long life, need to be replaced less often and can operate in harsh weather conditions. These features, among many others, make LED lights a great choice for office spaces.
LED Lights For Office Infographic
Tips For Better Office Lighting
- Replace traditional bulbs with LED lights and maximize natural light from windows
- Use low-intensity LED lighting for long working hours
- Match lighting to space purpose – task lighting for desks, ambient for whole rooms
- Add coloured LED lights to highlight areas and influence the mood
- Install lighting controls to manage energy and adjust light levels
- Use corrective lighting behind screens to reduce glare
- Add task lamps to desks where natural light is limited
Conclusion
Lighting is one of the first mediums that affect customers entering a space and can play a decisive role in their first impression of the office. If the lighting in the office is planned or installed incorrectly, it may deplete the energy of the employees, cause eye problems and discomfort and reduce productivity.
Installing LED task lamps increases natural light; corrective LED lamps reduce glare; lighting control systems save energy and control the space; and using coloured LED lights highlights and enhances the office.
These are some of the measures that can be applied to enhance the office pace, its mood and its effect on employees. Designing office lighting requires special attention to the purpose behind each area. If you have not yet adopted LED lights for a clear improvement of your office lighting, start the journey today.
