Total Lighting LLC is your one stop shop for all your commercial LED lighting needs. We specialize in interior and exterior LED lighting services including office retrofit or conversion, parking lot LED lighting, outdoor signs and more. We also supply all your new LED light bulbs or replacement needs.
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The Role of LED Technology in Commercial Lighting
Commercial LED lighting refers to the process of using LED lights for commercial spaces like offices, stores, government buildings, hospitals and spaces that are not considered residential, industrial or for manufacturing purposes. If compared to other types of lighting technology, commercial LED lights might have a higher cost but only initially, longer lifespan, more durable, lesser maintenance and service costs and with better energy cost savings. In commercial buildings, performing an activity or task is normally the most important function. This is the reason why commercial LED bulbs are chosen as it offers designs and functionality that reflect the kind of activity done in a building so that the people working in the space are comfortable and the lux level requirements and energy efficiency standards are met.
During the design phase of a commercial building, engineering design teams should work with LED lighting consultants so as to determine how high the illumination of a particular space, the application for which the area is designed for, the kind or type of light fixture necessary for the space as well as the application and the lux level requirements according to the prevailing codes and guidelines. In the past fluorescent lights and fixtures were all that was needed but their high energy consumption and lesser efficiency led to their downfall. LED lighting offers a better way to light a space. LED fixtures offers commercial establishments a better way to light a space for the delight and benefit of customers.
Benefits of Commercial LED Lights
Why choose LED lights over other kinds of high intensity lighting technology that are cheaper and also reliable? More and more companies are thinking long term rather than just focusing on what is generally more affordable at the moment. One of the major benefits offered by LED lighting is better longevity. LED lights simply last longer compared to conventional incandescent and fluorescent lighting products. Commercial LED lighting are more durable and normally do not require any glass components. Furthermore, LED lighting products are also less sensitive to temperature extremes and therefore more feasible to install in commercial and industrial buildings. This is the reason why LED lights are also the go-to lighting fixtures in industrial buildings as industrial applications often require more stable and reliable lighting sources and fixtures. Also in an industrial setup a lot of time is wasted replacing old incandescent bulbs or fluorescent bulbs that have failed because of the high intensity level of light needed. Commercial LED lights are safer to use compared to fluorescent bulbs in a number of business establishments. Other lighting fixtures are fragile and require more replacement. This is not the case with LED fixtures.
A lot of business owners are transitioning from the old incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lighting fixtures to LED when they receive their latest utility statements. Shocked at the enormous amount they need to pay, they immediately look for ways to curb costs immediately. The use of led lighting fixtures is appealing because of the profound cost savings that can be achieved once the LED lights are installed. The yearly savings alone when shifting from incandescent and fluorescent lighting fixtures to led lighting products is around $1.4 billion. If all commercial and industrial establishments switched to LED overnight, the savings can go as high as $49 billion according to the Department of Energy.
The useful life of an LED light may be more easily described in terms of how many operating hours it offers until it reaches the point of giving off 70% of the initial light output, at which time replacement of the LED lights are recommended. This is according to the Department of Energy. With that as a baseline you would be pleased to know that the quality of commercial LED lighting products are designed to last for over 50,000 hours or more. Compare that to the measly 1000 hours you get from an incandescent bulb and the 8000 – 10000 hours for compact fluorescent lights or CFLs. The most you can get from linear fluorescent lights is 30,000 hours.
At this point you know that you no longer have to worry about replacing any burned out bulbs when you make the switch to LED lighting fixtures, this frees up your people to focus on more important matters other than having to replace a broken bulb.
LED lights offer great versatility. The led fixture is not just a simple one off design but can come in many ways. Recessed LED, retrofit LED, ceiling LED lights, pendant led, wall LED or simply surface led lights can make any establishment standout.
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LED Lux or Illuminance Level Requirements
The primary objective of using commercial LED lights in a commercial building is to complete a task or conduct an activity. This is the reason why illuminance, which refers to the focus or amount of light, is very important. A commercial space that is under lit can distract or impede several kinds of activities. On the other hand, over lighting can also pose a detriment for the completion of certain tasks. In order to know what lux or illumination level requirements for commercial spaces are, it is important to know the units of measurement of light and the value of their connection when using LED lighting fixtures.
Lux or Illuminance – this refers to the unit of measurement of the intensity of the level of light, measured in foot candles. On a normal basis, a brightly lit office would need around 400 lux of illumination from commercial LED lighting products.
Lumen or “luminous flux” – Lumen refers to the measurement of the total value of light. One lumen is the measurement of the output of light.
The relationship between lux and lumen – Lux measurement can help in determining the lumen (output) needed given the area that is being illuminated. One lux is equal to one lumen spread across one square meter. In order to get a higher lumen when lighting a huge area based on the lux level requirements, the amount of commercial LED lights is also increased.
Wattage or watts refers to the measurement of power needed to operate a light fixture or the energy efficiency of lighting. Luminous efficacy refers to the rate at which a light fitting or light source can convert power (watts) to light (lumens), is measured in lumens per watt (LPW). Calculation of the lux level is needed to determine the number of lights necessary in a commercial space according to its size, the type of activity being done and the energy efficiency needed. Normally, software programs like DIALux or AGI32 are utilized to determine lux level calculations.
The kind and amount of commercial LED lighting products for a building should also take into consideration the guidelines and codes which state the minimum lux level that needs to be maintained. For instance, commercial spaces such as offices are normally over-lit based on the lux level specifications of the client that is normally more than the requirements posed by lighting codes.
Many of the green building codes require the lighting watts/m2 for office spaces should be within the range of 10 to 15 watt/m2, this has compelled many light makers to create light fittings with better energy efficiency. With the introduction of commercial LED lighting fittings, the watts/m2 in a lot of cases has fallen to 5-8 watts/m2 without compromising the minimum lux level requirement. Commercial lighting needs to comply with strict guidelines on the number of light fittings allowed in a specific area while also maintaining the minimum lux levels needed to ensure green building designs feature low energy consumption and high energy efficiency.
On top of adhering to green building design codes, commercial lighting also needs to consider other trending concepts in the lighting industry in order to offer more control on energy usage, efficiency and comfort. Some of the worthy lighting trends include: connected LED lighting, interactive LED lighting, commercial LED lighting fixtures with advanced lighting controls, balancing daylight and LED and harvesting tech as this would support the new concept of customer-centric philosophy in commercial spaces.