Like comfortable temperatures and fresh air, people don’t often think about lighting conditions in their workplace unless it’s bad. That’s especially true in the dark days of winter. With people often getting to work when it’s dark out or leaving when the sun has already set, it’s more important than ever to have good lighting.

Companies and institutions all over the world are seeking better lighting for a variety of reasons – everything from better light quality to saving money. For example:

• Hospitals want to improve the healing environments for patients, make sure staff can accurately read all the equipment and save money on energy bills.
• Schools want to have better lighting in the classroom for learning, replace hazy gym lights and save money on maintenance.
• Retail outlets want their products to look more appealing, be environmentally friendly and save money on scheduling.
• Manufacturers want to have productive workers, safe factories and predictable budgets.

Interestingly, even though it often provides the fastest payback, the lighting system is too often overlooked as a resource for generating significant savings. Changing an individual light or fixture may not have much of an impact, but perform a building-wide lighting retrofit and the savings add up quickly. Not only will a lighting upgrade deliver attractive internal returns on investment, but there are also many utility and government incentives (though some are expiring soon) and rebates available to fund upgrades.

Every space requires a unique lighting solution. Some of the most efficient technologies include: 

• Fluorescent Lighting: (Office buildings, classrooms)
• High intensity discharge (High bay industrial)
• Induction (Pathway lighting)
• Solid state lighting technologies such as LEDs (Traffic lights, street lights)

The key is doing your homework – or hiring an expert – to make sure you’re not missing any opportunities. One place to start is the U.S. Department of Energy’s website on lighting. DOE also has several webcasts on lighting and energy efficiency solutions.

During these dark winter days, as shareholders and stakeholders increasingly value facility decisions that contribute to bottom-line results, enterprises of all kinds should look to lighting as a solution that delivers both sustainability and working capital.

Mike Loth
Director - Solutions Marketing & Strategy
Johnson Controls