The biggest trends transforming office lighting

1      Energy Saving Projects

Organisations such as the Carbon Trust and Salix provide funding for energy-saving projects, and the trend is spreading, with a raft of new businesses offering to take on the upfront cost of your lighting upgrade, letting you pay for it from the savings on your energy bills.

2      LED Lighting Panels

LED panels have gradually conquered office lighting – although it has been a slow burning process. For many businesses, the numbers just didn’t add up for a big LED upgrade, but the tide is gradually turning as an LED panel is now more and more efficient and highly controllable, making payback much quicker. As big manufacturers go all LED, it may soon be the only choice for offices and retailers.

3      Lighting Controls

Light sources are only part of the lighting conundrum because everyone knows the most efficient light source is one that is turned off. The popularity of lighting controls in workplaces has come hand in hand with the rise of LEDs, which can be dimmed with LED dimmer switches, as well as sending and receiving data. Improvements in user interfaces, smartphones, and tablets, are also helping, and with the rise of wireless controls and power-line communication, it’s no longer such a faff to add controls to an existing building.

 4   Wellbeing and Productivity

Health and wellbeing, as well as their effects on productivity, are now big considerations for businesses when considering workplace lighting. This usually means intense light in the morning or at times when you want people to be alert, and warmer, softer light in the afternoon and evening when things are winding down. This mimics the change in the characteristics of natural light through the day and makes sure our body clocks keep ticking at the right speed. In settings where people are working, learning, or undergoing medical treatment, this is essential.