Winter is a great time to take a look at your lighting design and see if any improvements are possible. We have darker nights, fewer hours with the sun, and more reasons to have sufficient lighting. The best lighting upgrades for businesses in winter will make a difference.
Best Lighting Upgrades for Businesses in Winter
The best lighting upgrade for businesses in winter can make a big difference for your business and for its patrons. The first step to a major upgrade is to determine if more lighting is needed or if it can be reduced. The goal is to make sure that the business is safe for visitors at night and that there is comfortable lighting indoors.
You may want to add lighting to displays but remove some ambiance lighting from other displays. The best way to do this would be to wait until it is dark outside and then turn on all of the lights. Look around your empty business and determine where lighting changes can be done.
Upgrade to LED Lighting
The biggest upgrade any business can make is switching to LED lighting. LEDs help businesses in some key areas. In fact, there are only a few reasons any business should upgrade its lighting. Lighting upgrades can help decrease energy consumption, lower maintenance costs, create a safer workspace, and improve displays.
LEDs meet all of those requirements. Most businesses have already made the switch. However, your business should consider the upgrade if you haven’t already.
Type of Lighting to Upgrade
Businesses have multiple types of lighting to consider. Businesses have general lighting, task lighting, display lighting, and security lighting. Each area may be due for an upgrade. However, it is unnecessary to dive into it all at once if it is not financially feasible. Instead, focus on the important areas first and gradually upgrade each type over time.
The most important lighting type to upgrade will always be security lighting. Next, task lighting, then general lighting, and lastly, display lighting or ambiance lighting.
Upgrading to Smart Technology
The best lighting upgrades for businesses in winter are meant to help lower the cost of energy when we need it most. Winter brings colder days and nights, which means more heat and energy costs associated with that heat. But is smart lighting the way to go? Businesses should consider LED smart lighting for upgrades only if it offers enough benefits to the business.
For example, smart lighting comes in LED options, which means longevity. However, they will need WiFi in most cases, and the investment cost can be pretty high. But accessing lights remotely may be a big enough benefit for some businesses.
Energy Efficient Outdoor Lighting
Another one of the best lighting upgrades for businesses in winter is outdoor lighting. Outdoor lighting is often forgotten until it doesn’t work anymore. Some businesses don’t even mind if it doesn’t work anymore. However, outdoor lighting is considered to be security lighting or safety lighting.
The goal is to ensure patrons have a safe, well-lit path to your business from the parking lot. Take a look at your building at night and see if any dark spots could use a bit more lighting.