Properly designed and installed commercial lighting plays a bigger role in workplace efficiency and productivity than you might first think. You’ll enjoy several advantages if you plan it properly with knowledgeable electricians like us. We specialise in commercial lighting installation in Melbourne.
Benefits of Properly Planned Commercial Lighting
There are some obvious immediate benefits of a carefully planned commercial lighting design, along with long-term advantages.
Improved safety
A poorly lit workplace invites accidents or mistakes. Properly planned commercial lighting will ensure that everyone can clearly see what they’re doing. This vastly reduces the potential for accidental injury.
Higher productivity with more accuracy
Similarly, the right kind of commercial lighting installation in the right places will help your personnel execute tasks more accurately, work more efficiently, and avoid having to correct mistakes. This means higher productivity and job satisfaction.
Energy efficiency and cost savings
By choosing your lighting fixtures and fittings carefully, you can enjoy significant energy savings. For example, if you install more energy-efficient LED lights, you’ll see a tangible difference in your monthly electricity bills.
Longevity
Selecting the right components will also help to prolong the lifespan of a commercial lighting system. Combined with proper maintenance, a high-performance LED lighting design can run for 10-15 years without the need to replace bulbs or fixtures.
Fast switching abilities
It’s a great idea to include quick switching abilities in your commercial lighting installation. This allows you to instantly flip from one lighting setting to another, like a daytime one to a night-time one, for instance. It’s also very useful when if need to switch to an emergency power circuit.
Environmental friendliness
Choosing eco-friendly systems and components can noticeably decrease your business carbon footprint. You’ll use less energy and reduce industrial waste, by throwing away fewer components less often.
Standard components of commercial lighting installations
A typical commercial lighting installation requires a few standard components:
- Light fixtures – fluorescent panels, LED strips, spotlights and ambient downlights are a few examples.
- Electrical wiring – high-quality wiring materials are essential for optimal performance, power transmission capacity, and safety.
- Wiring connectors – these keep the circuit securely connected.
- Switches – depending on your needs, you can choose standard switches, dimmer switches, timer switches and on.
- Light bulbs – choose the right bulbs for your needs, be they halogen, LED or fluorescent.
Choosing the Right Commercial Lighting
Different kinds of workspaces require different types of lighting. Your lighting must take these differences into account. Here are some recommendations for various work areas:
Individual offices
Go for soft illumination and avoid any direct light that is too bright. Recessed downlights are a great choice, as they create enough light to comfortably work, without being too harsh.
You can also use suspended ceiling lights, preferably with LED bulbs. A desk lamp is usually an essential, providing focused light that can be moved around as needed.
Manufacturing premises
The three main types of commercial lighting for manufacturing facilities are:
- High bay lighting – these emit light from the ceiling, completely illuminating the workspace.
- Ambient lighting – this further brightens the area without shining in anyone’s eyes.
- Task-specific lighting – in places where personnel need to focus on complex of delicate work, purpose-built lights are extremely effective.
Storage warehouses
Once again, high bay lighting forms the basis of the system, along with low bay lighting, for illuminating smaller areas like storage rooms. You can also consider installing motion sensor lights. These will only shine when someone enters a specific workspace, allowing you to save power when these areas aren’t being used.
The STL Electrical Commercial Lighting Installation Process
We follow best practices to provide commercial lighting installations in Melbourne, customised around your specific business needs. This includes helping you plan your system to meet your goals, creating a lighting plan that accommodates all your challenges, and installing top-quality components. We’re also on 24-hour call if you need emergency assistance.
Step 1: Exploring your goals and business requirements
We make sure to understand exactly what commercial lighting you need and why you need it. We cover areas like safety and visibility, productivity and efficiency, employee satisfaction, and your energy saving requirements. Maintenance needs and long-term operation costs are taken into account. We ensure that everything you’re planning is in compliance with Melbourne building regulations.
Step 2: Rigorous site survey
We conduct a thorough inspection of your premises to establish critical things like space dimensions, ceiling height and building layout. We check the existing electrical infrastructure to make sure it can support your desired commercial lighting installation, and make note of unusual building features or obstructions that could impact the lighting design.
Step 3: Identifying challenges and solutions
We calculate how much wattage you’ll need per square foot, making sure not to surpass local codes and regulations. We examine the extent of integration with existing electrical systems, and any energy efficiency requirements. Naturally, your budget constraints and deadlines are also part of this step.
Step 4: Evaluating space usage
We analyse exactly how you intend to use your space. You’ll likely have a mixture of focused work areas, collaborative spaces and relaxation spots. These all require different lighting arrangements.
Depending on the nature of your business, this can include identifying hazardous areas, high traffic zones, storage areas and machinery locations.
Step 5: Lighting plan design
Once we’ve collated all of the above, we create a detailed plan for your commercial lighting installation. This includes all the components, like fixtures and wiring, as well as any additional requirements, like timers, dimmers and motion sensors.
We give you a comprehensive breakdown of the estimated costs, future energy consumption, and long-term cost-efficiencies. We also advise on the optimal maintenance schedule.
Step 6: Installation and testing
Once you’re happy with everything and you’ve signed off on the design, our expert Melbourne lighting installation electricians will complete the job safely and efficiently.
Commercial Lighting Installation Services in Melbourne
When you’re considering installing commercial lighting, or overhauling your old system, speak to STL Electrical. You’ll appreciate our straightforward, professional approach. We’ll make sure you get exactly the right lighting your business needs for your current operations and future plans.