How [city] Businesses Are Protecting Their Employees with Sustainable Lighting

When businesses in [city] start thinking about upgrades to their lighting systems, it is almost always in an effort to cut costs. After all, LED light bulbs are on average 80% more efficient than traditional fluorescent or HID lighting. The result of making the switch is a significant and permanent drop in the monthly energy bill. That’s something that everyone in the company can get on board with.

But there are some additional benefits to sustainable lighting that aren’t so readily considered. Here are the top five, along with a few tips on how your business can best take advantage of each one:

1.) More Energy

One of the biggest problems with fluorescent HID bulbs is the spectrum of light that they provide. The blue-colored light that they are known for is similar to that of a clear blue sky. Or, as our internal circadian systems see it, “mid-day light”.

While the effect is subtle at first, over-exposure to blue light has been shown to negatively affect our circadian rhythms. The translation is poorer sleep, which will lead directly to decreased performance in the workplace.

The broad-spectrum lighting of LEDs make it possible to emulate a more natural light cycle, mitigating this negative effect.

2.) Decreased Levels of Stress

One study by the California Energy Commission found that even small exposure to sunlight can serve to decrease stress levels. LED lighting systems, when installed with a smart control system, can make your interior lighting more like what it is outdoors.

Increasing access to real sunlight is another popular way to make your workplace lighting more sustainable, and it also will boost this de-stressing effect.

3.) A Healthier, Greener Work Environment

Bad lighting makes for bad health … that much is obvious to us now. Whether it is from over-exposure to blue light, harsh glare, bulb flickering, or industrial light pooling … issues with your lighting can lead to an entire range of human illness, from eye strain to hypertension.

4.) Reduced Workplace Accidents

Especially in [city]’s Industrial areas, workplace accidents are often caused by poor or inadequate lighting. Improving visibility is not only going to reduce your accident rate, but it will likely reduce your insurance rate over time. In addition, production facilities need to follow strict guidelines when it comes to area visibility, so factoring this in to your lighting plan in the early stages is essential.

5.) Increased Employee Satisfaction

When you add up all the benefits that we discussed above, you arrive at a fifth benefit that almost no one thinks of.  Healthy, safe employees are far more likely to express feelings of job satisfaction. Employees with higher job satisfaction will work faster, stay healthier, and remain employed for longer. The result is a long-term savings that is impossible to truly quantify.

In fact, “bad lighting” is one of the most common shared features of companies with low job satisfaction scores. That’s why it is becoming increasingly important in [city] and around the country to continue to invest in clean lighting solutions.

To sum it up: industrial LED lighting systems can make your workplace a better place to be. Your employees and customers aren’t likely to thank you for it, but your balance sheet most certainly will.