Industrial Lighting Energy Best Practices

Finding the right lighting for any location may seem like a careful balancing act. It needs to be efficient in terms of energy used while still providing ample illumination. When considering the right lighting for an industrial setting, these factors are always at the forefront of the decision. Here are a few industrial lighting energy best practices to help you get the most efficient lighting solution possible.

• Play up any natural lighting in the location. If you have windows or bay openings in the location, utilizing natural light will help reduce the amount of energy consumed using artificial lights.
• Consider the use of occupancy sensors. Regardless of what type of lighting you choose, an occupancy sensor or other timing device can greatly reduce the amount of energy being consumed. They can easily be installed to almost any new or existing fixture and can save your business a good deal of money.
• Invest in reflectors. This is often one of the more easily forgotten industrial lighting energy best practices. Installing reflectors in your fixtures will help to distribute the light more evenly instead of simply casting it downwards and limiting the scope of the lumen output.
• Choose the right lighting type. It is an obvious fact of lighting that certain types of lighting are more energy efficient. The least energy efficient tends to be halogen and incandescent. They have lower lumen outputs and higher watts which means the energy consumed is higher than other options. Fluorescents are a better choice since they have better watt to lumen output ratios, but they aren’t as long-lasting as induction lighting or LED. These are the two best options for industrial settings.
• Compare LED and induction. Induction lighting is often seen as comparable to LED in terms of performance and longevity, but there are a few differences to keep in mind. Induction lighting will give an average of up to 90 lumens/watts which is better than fluorescents or any of the other non-LED options. However, LED tends to give up to 120 or higher lumens/watts which is still the more energy efficient option. Both types are pretty much the same regarding average rated life with both averaging around 100,000 hours of use. However, induction lighting contains mercury which is harder to dispose of and potentially harmful to the environment whereas LED is free of this component.

Choosing energy efficient lighting is the best way to help lower energy costs while maximizing lighting potential. Following these basic tips will make finding the right solution easy and simple.