What is Commercial Lighting, and Why is it Important?

Commercial lighting is the use of lighting fixtures in a commercial setting. Typically, commercial lighting or industrial lighting will aim to make a place of business brighter and more accessible for customers and/or employees, both inside and outside of commercial structures. Therefore, these light fixtures are essential elements of any good commercial design.

Outdoor commercial lighting is one aspect that is often especially important to businesses. While aesthetics may be considered in commercial lighting decisions, safety is often more central to how businesses set up outdoor lighting fixtures. When compared with residential lighting, commercial outdoor lighting is much more likely to focus on providing as much illumination as possible.

A brightly-lit exterior for a place of business makes it much easier to see what people are doing and helps discourage unwanted activity. This additional lighting can reduce loitering and even break-in attempts during the evening and night, protecting both the people in the building and any equipment or merchandise on the premises. You can even get outdoor security lights with motion sensors to ensure that your security lights or parking lot lights are effectively working to deter unwanted approaches.

What are the Benefits of LED Lighting for Commercial Spaces?

There are many advantages of LED technology. Most notably, LED lights take less energy to power than traditional light bulbs, making LEDs cheaper, safer, and more energy efficient. This energy efficiency means that a system of LED lights uses only a fraction of the power that traditional bulbs would use, meaning that your company will not have to pay as much for those bright and expansive lighting systems you might want. The lower energy usage also means an LED fixture doesn’t run nearly as hot as traditional bulbs since they’re not losing and wasting energy to heat. LED fixtures are also safer, especially for extended usage, since a long-running LED light is much less likely to overheat and cause problems, damage, or fire than regular light bulbs. Finally, LED lighting solutions are also often easier to maintain because they last a long time, and the bulbs or lights require replacement less frequently. Plus, your company will be getting energy savings, lowering its energy usage and carbon emissions.

Upgrading Commercial Lighting to LED

It is often possible—and economical—to upgrade an existing lighting system to one using LED lights instead. Many lighting companies will happily help you upgrade your system to more energy-efficient lights. At the same time, you might want to make a bigger change to take advantage of new lighting design options, and lighting companies will also be happy to help.

In starting one of these upgrade projects, you may even be able to take advantage of incentives and rebates for commercial LED lighting projects from your local, state, or even the federal government. Many of these same companies will also be happy to help you find and apply for these rebates as part of their services, so make sure that you ask your chosen lighting company about these rebates when you’re considering an upgrade project.

How Does Lighting Work in Different Settings?

“Commercial lighting fixtures” could mean lots of different things, so let’s look at some common situations:

How Do You Create Functional and Aesthetically Pleasing Commercial Spaces?

The best lighting system for your retail space will depend on two main things: how the space is shaped or set up and what you’re selling. Ensure the lighting makes your stock visible while customers are browsing it—not so they’ll be casting customers’ shadows onto displays. Important displays might also merit a specific light fixture to highlight those items.

How Can You Use Lighting to Create a Welcoming Atmosphere for Your Restaurant or Café?

Since lighting contributes a lot to the vibe or atmosphere of a location, it’s important to think about what kind of atmosphere you want for your restaurant or café. For example, a café that sells breakfast food and drinks might want a set of brighter lights, while a restaurant's dinner services might want the lights dimmer.

Think about what customers will be doing in your space—will they meet friends and family and talk over a meal? Will they get a coffee to work on a laptop for a few hours? You should target your lighting system to help facilitate whatever you expect visitors to want to do. Lighting control options can help you modify your lighting to fit the mood or occasion on any given day.

Overall, the main thing to consider with a restaurant or café is that your lighting should probably stay on the warmer side—oranges and yellows rather than blues and whites. Warmer lights tend to feel more relaxing, so they can be a good option for creating a welcoming atmosphere for your customers.

How Can Lighting Enhance Office Productivity?

Let’s not forget another very common commercial setting—offices. Many people’s thoughts when they hear the word “office” tend to conjure up very dreary settings, so you must try to make the lighting in your office space fight against that negative stereotype. The right kind of office lighting can make an office more aesthetically pleasing and welcoming.

To encourage productivity, you’ll likely want your office lights to be cooler rather than warmer. Cooler lights are often helpful for encouraging attention and concentration, unlike the relaxing warmer lights discussed in the restaurant section above. You won’t want the lights to be too harsh, so it’s usually better to avoid fluorescent lights and instead use LEDs.

You might also want to consider a lighting system with adjustable brightness so that you can begin the early day in the office with slightly dimmer lights and progress to brighter settings over the first hour or two of work. This is often a more pleasant way to start the work day than immediately entering a fully-lit room.

Lighting makes all the difference. It creates comfort in your home at any time of the day. And if you’re ready to install outdoor lighting that creates the perfect mood, we’re here to help. JellyFish Lighting is the premier choice for customized, color-changing lights for any event. If you’re ready to see your home in a new light, contact us for a free quote.