Efficient buildings make efficient business. For many companies, they will naturally think of upgrading their equipment or software, or changing workflows to maximise productivity and operations. However, many don’t realise that lighting can realistically account for up to 80% of the electricity costs when it comes to storage and logistics warehouses. So why wouldn’t you upgrade your business premises with energy efficient LED warehouse lighting for cost efficiencies?
Effective and efficient lighting of a warehouse is essential to make sure items are stored and identified easily, so that staff and vehicles can navigate aisles safely, and to ensure that the risk of accidents is minimised. When it comes to energy-saving and cost-saving lighting solutions, LED warehouse lighting is the way forward and can help to transform your business by meeting each of these requirements better than alternatives.
Frequently we find that warehouse lighting also becomes unfit for purpose due to the age of the fittings, or to building space being re-positioned and light fittings being positioned incorrectly to the new layout. At this point is it time for an upgrade and one of the safest and most efficient forms of lighting for a warehouse is with LEDs.
The benefits of LED warehouse lighting
Warehouse LED lighting provides bright, even illumination. The improved visibility from an LED helps to speed production and helps staff to identify parts, isolate problems and avoid any accidents. Often this form of lighting will also help to improve the mood of workers and reduce illness and headaches in addition to aiding their tasks and reducing picking errors.
LED lighting in a warehouse means that there is virtually zero maintenance needed and therefore work stoppages are minimised. LEDs can last up to 50,000 hours and are therefore ideal for warehouses that often operate long hours.
Colours from LED lighting are rendered more accurately and they also generate less heat than alternatives. But perhaps the main benefit to introducing LED lighting to your warehouse is that it will save you up to 70% on your energy costs, cutting your operating costs dramatically.
Considerations when implementing LED warehouse lighting
The quality of light provided in a warehouse and the way the luminaire reproduces colours is extremely important when staff are picking stock and reading labels. It is important to consider the LED product’s colour temperature level. The most popular level is 3500-4000 Kelvin, but in spaces with comparably less activity a higher, colder level may still be used.
There is also a Colour Rendering Index (CRI) level, which effects how colours look under the light. CRI is measured on a scale from 1-100 and 85 is the minimum acceptable level where staff are working for long periods of time.
Before an installation, you should make sure that the racking systems are in place and have been considered extensively as poorly arranged lighting installations will waste energy, reduce illumination and hinder any maintenance. It is also important to consider the distribution of light as it is easy to get light onto the floor, but operatives will also need a good distribution of light onto the face of the racking.
Whilst you will need LED lighting with excellent luminous efficacy there is also a trade-off to consider in terms of visual comfort. The optical control and glare which may be experienced by a fork-lift truck operator looking up into the luminaire, for example, needs to be considered when they need to stack higher levels of racking.
Intelligent LED Warehouse Lighting controls
You don’t need light all the time, and there will be times when 100% working illumination isn’t needed. Part of the assessment of warehouse lighting should be a review of how the warehouse functions on a daily basis. This is where intelligent lighting controls can come in by introducing aisle lighting schemes where the lighting can automatically drop to a lower level where there is no one working, or at different times of the day.
With advanced controls and re-programming capabilities intelligent LED warehouse lighting can support progressive dimming and daylight harvesting. For a completely smart LED lighting solution a sensor-based network can be implemented to provide ultimate business intelligence, creating a more productive, efficient and safe warehouse environment.
Evaluate and monitor how your warehouse lighting is performing
Without the use of monitoring software, it is difficult to have a good idea of how the installation is performing. By linking your intelligent lighting strategy to reporting software and monitoring systems you will have access to automatic testing and reporting providing long-term benefits when it comes to preventative maintenance. This is especially useful for environments such as warehouses which operate at high levels over long periods.
For more information, or to arrange a free survey please view our LED Lighting.
