Six Essential Commercial Lighting Tips for Your Business

America is a nation of big, beautiful buildings. The floorspace of American commercial buildings increased by 11% between 2012 and 2018.

This is great. Buildings have more room to show off products and they can accommodate more customers.

Yet it can be very difficult to illuminate a large or awkwardly shaped building. You need to think about some great commercial lighting tips before you start hanging up fixtures. 

Why should you switch to LEDs? What kinds of fixtures should you buy? What kinds of lights should you install, and how can you create layers of light?

Answer these questions and you can light your commercial building the right way. Here are six tips you can follow. 

1. Switch to Commercial LED Lighting 

LED lights have several benefits over incandescent bulbs. LEDs can last between 35,000 and 50,000 hours.

Switching to LEDs saves you time as you won't be running to the store to buy new bulbs. You can even leave your LEDs on overnight, deterring thieves from breaking into your building.

You can replace your bulbs while keeping your current light fixtures. Yet you should try to find LED bulbs with the same shapes as your incandescent bulbs. Selecting a different shape of bulb can affect where the light goes and may damage your fixtures.

2. Examine Your Options for Commercial Lighting Fixtures

When you want new fixtures, you have a few different options. Low bay work lights are good for rooms that have ceilings between 12 and 20 feet high. They contain diffusers so light distributes throughout a room evenly without harsh reflections. 

High bay lights work for rooms with higher ceilings. Many auditoriums and warehouses rely on them. They can cast light into corners that other fixtures cannot reach. 

If you have a small store, you can use troffer lights. They fit into a dropped ceiling grid, so customers will not be distracted looking at them. 

If you want commercial outdoor lighting, you can install area lights. These fixtures cast light over a wide area, making them great for parking lots and driveways. You can also place flood lights on your walls to illuminate doors and ramps. 

3. Figure Out Where Your Lights Will Go

Commercial electric lighting is designed to cast light with as few fixtures as possible. In a storage room, you may need only one or two fixtures. 

Yet you should figure out where you will install your fixtures. For a closet, you should put one fixture in the center of the ceiling so the light distributes evenly. 

When you need to install multiple fixtures, you should examine how far the light in each one travels. You should space your fixtures out to cover all dark areas and shadows. 

You also need to measure the sizes of your fixtures. A large fixture may give you too much light, or it may have ornate parts that you don't need. Make sure you can access your fixtures and repair them if they break. 

4. Find the Right Amount of Brightness

If your lights are too dim, your workers and customers will be unable to see things. But if your lights are too bright, your workers will strain their eyes. 

Take a look at the lumens for the lights you buy. For a commercial space, you need a few dozen lumens for every square foot. You may need more lumens if your employees work with small materials like nails. 

5. Select Neutral Colors  

Neutral colors do not distract your employees or make it hard to see. White lights are standard options in commercial settings. You can also get bulbs that are light yellow or orange. 

Color temperature is a metric that describes the color of a light bulb when it is lit. The lower the temperature is, the more red the light is. The higher the temperature, the more blue the light is. 

You should opt for a moderate color temperature. Bulbs with a temperature of 5,000 Kelvin cast white light. 

You can use different colors of bulbs on certain occasions. You can use commercial LED outdoor lighting fixtures to advertise your business. You can spell out your company name using red or orange bulbs.

6. Create Layers of Light

Creating layers of light will make it easy to see. It can also help you promote and display your products in your showrooms. 

Ambient lights are fixtures that replace sunlight. Troffer lights are one example of ambient fixtures. You should put bright bulbs in these fixtures so you project light across the room. 

Task lights illuminate high-activity areas like cashier stations. Task lighting fixtures are bright but directional, casting light onto the important area and nothing else. You should find fixtures with shades as they direct the light where it needs to be. 

Accent lighting accentuates spaces like cabinets where important products are stored. They can add a soft light that draws a customer's eye and encourages them to buy a product. Don't install too many accent lights as you risk distracting your customers. 

Get the Perfect Commercial Lighting for Your Building

Commercial lighting is not about hooking up a few lightbulbs. You should opt for LED lights because they are energy-efficient and cost-effective. You should find simple fixtures that provide plenty of light inside and outside. 

Map out your commercial building and find strategic locations for your bulbs. Look at the lumens to find the right amount of brightness. 

Select bulbs with neutral colors unless you are trying to advertise your business. Build three layers of light to make it easy to see.

Don't light your building on your own. Birddog Lighting provides great commercial lighting solutions. Contact us today.