The correct lighting in a commercial office building can be a game changer.

Not only can it help you save money on energy savings, but you can also attract more tenants and keep your current workers happy. Dim lighting can strain employees’ eyes, and that can lower productivity.

Our goal with this guide is to help you solve your top commercial office lighting problems and concerns. From which light bulbs to use, to managing energy costs, and the best places to retrofit to LED – we’re covering it all. Hopefully, you will find the answer to your question. But if not, you can always contact one of our lighting experts.

Group relamping: This is a “work smarter, not harder” approach that prioritizes efficiency over speed. Rather than climbing ladders multiple times a month to swap out burnt-out lamps, take care of certain areas in one fell swoop. This is especially effective if you’re dealing with high, hard-to-reach fixtures or busy areas, like lobbies or stairwells.

Schedule maintenance: Work with a provider or schedule out your maintenance on a calendar. The idea here is to maintain your lighting like you would your car. If you don’t maintain good air pressure in your tires or change your oil regularly, you will experience a blowout or break down at the worst possible time. And if you don’t schedule out your lighting maintenance, you may experience an outage on the busiest day of the week or just ahead of a visit from your out-of-town boss.

Keep product stocked: The best way to improve the chances of a quickly resolved maintenance request is to stock common products.

There are several areas where the lights are always on. You want to make sure burn out is low, so you aren’t constantly stuck on a ladder replacing them or inconveniencing tenants. These areas include stairwells, elevators, and parking garages.

If your building has not already retrofitted to LED, you’ll want to consider lighting updates in these hard-to-maintain areas first. We’re digging into that below. Click here to jump ahead.

There are two easy ways to save money on lighting and increase energy efficiency:

1. Retrofit to energy-saving lighting (see below)

2. Invest in long-life products from reputable manufacturers

Let’s discuss #2 a little further. New companies continue to come onto the scene with LED lighting innovations and low prices. These might save energy upfront – but the wrong product could end up costing you in the long run.

Download our checklist of questions to ask a lighting manufacturer before you make a purchase.

Another tool to consider when you’re trying to save energy: lighting controls. We’ve touched on areas where you need lighting 24/7, but you also have areas in your office building where lights don’t always need to be on. Conserving in these locations can help reduce energy consumption – Philips says by as much as 55 percent.

Lighting controls vary from simple dimmers and occupancy sensors to advanced systems that allow you to change light color.

• • Dimmers: Dimming lightbulbs reduces wattage and output, resulting in energy savings. This can also help set different tones throughout your building.
  • Sensors: No one wants to light an empty room – so installing occupancy sensors in a conference room that’s rarely used is an easy place to start. Or it could be tedious to turn on parking lot lights every night, so photosensor controls could be a huge advantage. Motion sensors are very useful for security lighting. They turn on when motion is detected, then turn off a short while later.
  • Timers: Will everyone be out of the office by 6:00 pm? Or do you only need accent lights on for certain hours of the day? Timers may be the best another option to consider.

The lights were dim and dull when CBRE acquired the building – not very safe. Regency was able to boost the light levels in the garage while using 500 fewer fixtures. Not only is the garage brighter, but energy costs and maintenance are lower.

Title 24 compliance for commercial offices

There is also a push for more sophisticated lighting systems in many areas of the country, and that could have you dealing with building code.

If you’re in California, new construction and building renovations must meet Title 24 standards. The energy code significantly impacts lighting and lighting controls. It’s triggered any time you pull a building permit.

Other states are quickly catching onto these standards, too.

If you’re subject to strict building codes, contact us. We dove head first into Title 24 years ago, and deal with these requirements day-in and day-out.

When is the right time to upgrade to LED? And where should you start? It can feel overwhelming, especially in commercial office buildings.

You may be able to gradually work LED into your property by purchasing a few bulbs per month or quarter. Or you may be ready for a complete LED retrofit now.

Here are a few things to consider:

1. Is your primary goal energy efficiency?
   • Energy efficiency is a common goal for our customers, since energy costs are such a high percentage of the cost of traditional lighting.
2. Is your primary goal reducing your operating budget?
   • How much of your budget includes energy cost? If you’re operating budget only includes labor and material savings, you may need to transition to LED a little slower.
3. Is your primary goal ease of maintenance?
   • No one wants to spend all day on a ladder. Switching to LED means fewer light bulb changes.
4. Is your primary goal improving the visual appeal of your space?
   • Light quality can be a huge part of lighting for your lobby, employees, and potential tenants. The high color quality of LED lighting may add more value.
5. Is your primary goal sustainability or social responsibility?
   • Many of our clients are very interested in gaining LEED points for their office building with LEDs. If sustainability is a goal for you, LEDs should be a top consideration.
6. Does your property manager have specific areas in mind?
   • Does your property manager keep pointing out areas where he or she wants to upgrade to LEDs? You’ve got to keep the boss happy.

Once you’ve decided it’s worth it to upgrade to LED – where do you start? Here’s a visual we commonly use to prioritize which lighting products you should swap for LED first. This is a great tool for property managers to see the areas of greatest financial impact.

Unless you have HIDs in high-ceiling recessed cans or parking areas, they are not too common in commercial office buildings. You can likely jump to fluorescents.

With linear fluorescent lamps in particular – start your retrofit with areas that need light 24/7, like parking garages, stairwells, or the basement. Then, gradually move inside to the core of the building, strategically making high burn areas top priority.

You might also be faced with the question: should I retrofit with LED bulbs, or do all fixtures need to be replaced? Here’s a look at pros and cons.

LED fixture replacement retrofit pros:

• Maximum control over light output and placement (great for situations where lighting design is paramount)
• Longer life rating and efficacy than LED replacement lamps
• Lower maximum fixture wattage than traditional fixtures, which is advantageous for meeting strict building codes or Title 24 standards
• Excellent performance for controls and dimming

LED fixture replacement retrofit cons:

• Longer, more expensive installation
• Higher up-front cost than LED replacement lamps
• Potential for difficulty in upgrading to future emerging technologies

You can also ask yourself these key questions:

1. Are you working on a new construction project or complete remodel?
   • If you are working on a new construction project, LED fixtures are probably the best starting point to consider.
2. Do your existing light fixtures need maintenance or repair?
   • There are some cases when fixture repairs, combined with the cost of upgrading to LED, makes it worth paying for a fixture replacement.
3. Do you need to meet specific building codes based on controls or fixture wattage?
   • Building codes are becoming more stringent on efficiency and controls requirements. (See Title 24 above)
4. Are there rebates involved in your lighting decision?
   • One final consideration in the debate of LED fixtures versus plug-and-play replacements is the question of rebates. While the cost of LED fixtures is generally greater, so are the potential incentive programs to offset the up-front cost.