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Many small business owners aren’t aware that they can cut their operating expenses simply by making improvements to their commercial lighting systems. This is especially true if your business in [city] has extended hours, which is often the case for retail establishments and restaurants.

By making a few changes to your commercial lighting system, you can keep your lights on a lot longer than usual without having to worry about your bill at the end of the month. Here are a few things you can do to get these results.

1. Switch to LEDs

Old incandescent bulbs might be phased out in certain parts of the world, but some businesses still continue to use them where they’re available. A lot of it has to do with the warm yellow glow aesthetic, even if it comes at the price of energy efficiency and short life spans.

If you haven’t switched to energy efficient LED light bulbs yet, now’s as good a time as any to do so. LEDs are not only better for the environment their energy efficiency means you can still save electricity despite having more light in your office spaces. In fact, a 10-watt LED is as bright as a 100-watt incandescent bulb—sometimes brighter.

The image of LEDs only generating a bluish white glow has also been long disproven. Today, LEDs can generate virtually any color.

2. Choose Fixtures that Makes the Most of Your Lights

Along with using environment friendly LEDs, it’s also a good idea to match your light bulbs with fixtures that optimize their light output, depending on their intended application. For example, recessed light fixtures or downlights are ideal for general lighting, but they make for poor task lighting. Instead, you want to use something like track lights or pendants close to product displays or workspaces.

3. Install Motion Sensors

Employees often forget to switch the lights off before leaving work. If you’re tired of discovering that your lights were left on the entire weekend, installing motion sensors should fix this problem. Attaching motion sensors your lighting system ensures that your lights will only come on when people are in the room moving. When everyone leaves the office or business premises, the sensors will automatically kill the lights. Sensors aren’t all that expensive too, making them a worthwhile investment for any business.

4. Say Goodbye to Halogens

Many establishments and offices still use depend on halogen lights as their primary commercial lighting solution. Although these bulbs produce a bright light, they’re ultimately just improved versions of incandescent bulbs that still require a lot of power to use. Halogens also have a short lifespan, typically lasting about 1,000 hours. In contrast, LEDs have an average lifespan of 50,000 hours.

5. Buy Products You Know Will Last

Whether it’s your light bulbs or lighting fixture, it makes perfect business sense to buy lighting products you know are built to last. Commercial LED lighting too expensive? Think of how the energy savings they bring will ultimately offset their higher initial cost. You should also factor in the superior durability of LED lighting, which translates to lower maintenance and replacement costs. After all, what’s the point of buying cheaper fixtures if you’re only going to replace them after a few months?

So, the next time you’re trying to figure out how to reduce your overhead, think of your commercial lighting and remember these tips.

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