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Important Things to Know about Lighting in Offices

There is more to the lights in your office than what is seen by the naked eye. Office lighting and energy standards have seen significant changes for the past few years just like how office designs and spaces have also shifted.

Before you choose or change your office lights, here are some important considerations you might want to keep in mind:

Workstations with Open Plans

Office spaces have now evolved from individual cubicles to favor a more open work environment. For these new and open workplaces, ambient lighting in the room focuses on evoking a sense of unity and close community among employees. This must offer the most direct light in workstations to allow natural dim spots in the walkway areas wherein people don’t meet to talk. Offering individual task lighting gives workers the chance to adjust their designated workstations to their personal preferences and needs.

Productivity and Health of Workers

Office lights also have a huge effect on the productivity and health of workers. Natural light exposure is said to affect office workers in different ways. When workers don’t get enough natural light, they feel more tired, less active, more distractive, and more susceptible to insomnia.

But, if there are no skylights or windows in your office that can brighten up the working areas, you can give employees the boost they need with the use of artificial lights in the right color and brightness. Daylight colors such as blue white and white can create that feeling of being under the sun and its benefits.

Energy Usage and Energy Savings

It doesn’t matter what kind of lamps are used in your workplace because these will cost you energy and money to run. Lighting updates have given office options that are more energy efficient while completely getting rid of all other options like incandescent bulbs and fluorescent bulbs.

LEDs now lead the pack when it comes to office lighting as these make use of less energy compared to other lamps while offering better output. An energy makeover has also been done on fluorescent lamps as newer models now offer significant savings. Now is a great time to reassess if the lights in your office can use the much-needed energy upgrade.

Computers and Lighting

Where are the office computers located? This can play a big role in the setting of the lighting levels in your office. There are possible hazards that are brought about by lighting around computers. An example of this is wash out that happens if bright lights around the screen make it hard to read or see. Glare is also another example wherein the computer screen reflects light into the eyes of the user.

These potential hazards are known to cause headaches, eye strain, irritation, and fatigue. Computers should never be placed against contrasting light sources such as windows are right under the line of sight. Adjustable positioning must be possible with task lighting to easily fix potential contrast or glare as needed.

For your relamping and lighting fixture cleaning needs, contact Courtesy Building Services, Inc. to get the best results.