The Benefits of Sustainable Office Lighting

The impact of human activity on the environment and the climate means all businesses have a responsibility to become more sustainable. Becoming greener, however, can bring benefits to both the environment and the business. Here, we’ll look at the business advantages of sustainability and how sustainable lighting solutions, like LEDs, have a valuable role to play.

The appeal of sustainability

Modern consumers are acutely aware of the effect humans are having on the environment and are increasingly looking for ways to minimise their own impact. The chief way they are doing this is to choose companies which share their sustainability goals. In other words, they will use businesses that have sustainable operations and who offer eco-friendly products and services.

This change in consumer behaviour is now widespread, with recent studies showing that almost 90% of consumers have positive perceptions of environmentally friendly companies. Indeed, 88% of consumers are more loyal to sustainable businesses. Younger consumers are particularly attracted, with almost 70% of millennials buying products and services that have a positive environmental impact. Greener companies, therefore, stand to benefit significantly by promoting their green initiatives. 

What’s more, aside from attracting new customers, sustainability is now helping businesses attract and retain employees, partner with like-minded organisations and save money.

LEDs and sustainability

One way that a company can make significant progress towards sustainability is by adopting environmentally-friendly office lighting solutions. Today, this means replacing traditional lighting, like incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, with LEDs.

The technological advancement in LED design and manufacture means that they are far more energy-efficient. For example, while incandescent and fluorescent bulbs waste most of the energy they use by converting it into heat, LEDs convert most of their energy into light. As a result, they produce up to 80% less CO2 and use up to 80% less power. When Carlsberg replaced fluorescent bulbs with LEDs at its logistics centre, it cut power consumption by 650,000 kWh per year and reduced its annual carbon footprint by 400 tonnes.

Additionally, LEDs provide directional lighting. While an incandescent bulb or fluorescent tube emits light in all directions and wastes energy by shining light where it's not needed, such as on the ceiling, an LED can focus light in the direction it is needed, saving energy and cutting emissions even more.

LED systems provide greater sustainability

While LED bulbs in themselves provide excellent ways to cut emissions, modern LED lighting systems are the ultimate way to create sustainable office lighting.

LED lighting systems enable bulbs to be centrally managed and controlled and allow for the fitting of sensors. One of the immediate benefits is the ability to use daylight sensors which automatically adjust the brightness of individual bulbs, depending upon the amount of natural light reaching various parts of the office. This means everywhere in the office is always adequately illuminated but that the system uses only the minimum amount of energy required. If more natural light enters the room, the bulbs get dimmer or go out, however, as the system works with individual bulbs, any parts of the office space that don’t get a lot of sunlight (desks in recesses or furthest away from the window) will still be illuminated.

Occupancy sensors can also be used to help cut emissions from wasted energy. These can sense whether someone is in a room or corridor and will turn on or off automatically. This ensures lighting is only on when needed and goes off swiftly when a room is empty.

Other benefits of LED lighting

Aside from cutting carbon emissions, LED lighting can offer other benefits. A bulb’s ability to change colour, for example, enables companies to introduce circadian lighting, where the colour of the bulb mimics that of natural daylight as it changes throughout the day. This can improve employee health and wellbeing, helping them sleep better, remain alert and be more productive. LEDs are also ideal for task lighting, giving employees a greater choice over the lighting conditions needed to carry out different tasks, whether that’s increasing brightness or adjusting colour for working with screens or other equipment.

Sustainability and cost

While the potential cost of implementing sustainability measures has been a barrier to some companies; when it comes to LED lighting systems the cost benefits are immediate. An 80% reduction in energy usage and carbon emissions equates to 80% savings in the cost of office lighting – a significant sum for most companies.

In addition, LEDs have a longer lifespan than other bulbs, lasting on average 50,000 hours. This means that the cost of replacement is also less when compared to fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.

Conclusion

Customers are increasingly choosing to use sustainable businesses in order to reduce their own impact on the environment. By working towards sustainability, companies make themselves more attractive in today’s environmentally conscious market. LED bulbs and lighting systems can help you make significant progress towards your environmental goals and dramatically cut the costs of office lighting. You’ll also be able to leverage news of your eco-friendly lighting to attract new customers.