What is Office Lighting and Why Do We Use Them?

With Workplace 3.0, we’re redesigning our office spaces to support collaboration, productivity and hybrid working methods. Despite the joys of working from home, we sometimes want a comfier chair, we sometimes want a tasty coffee from the high-tech coffee machine, but more than anything else, we need that human touch and those face-to-face interactions that we just can’t get remotely.

At the same time, major change brings major confusion. In a world of tight budgets and a million choices, how do we choose the technologies that have the biggest positive impact with the smallest possible investment? How can we create an office space that helps us feel energized, while supporting a diverse range of activities without any technical hiccups?

We certainly don’t know everything, but what we do know is that the best office lighting will bring out the best in you and your people. Not only that, but you’ll also end up saving a considerable amount of energy and maintenance costs, all while creating a sustainable space that people want to be in.

So, why choose the best office lighting when your current one works “just fine”?

1. Improve everyone’s wellbeing

Light is essential for life and affects everything from our holiday plans to our sleeping patterns. Yet, as we continue to spend as much as 90% of our time indoors, we’re in a constant struggle to find more natural, more personalised lighting that can suit our ever-changing individual needs.

The best office lighting is the one you don’t even notice. It’s the one that lets you finish your day without a headache or sore eyes. It’s the one that provides a perfect balance between natural and artificial light, adjusting automatically to the time of day and the activities within the office.

Considering its influence on our circadian rhythms and our sleep, mood and general wellbeing, why should we settle for anything less than the best when it comes to office lighting and our own health?

2. Maximise your productive hours

Office lighting, as mundane as it may seem at first, has a big impact on how we perform our everyday tasks. We already know that the best office lighting systems will improve alertness by giving the right colour temperature at the right time, but let’s consider how it can help with even the most basic actions.

For example, physically switching the lights on and off is the simplest form of lighting control, yet, when it must be done repetitively across multiple locations at different times of the day, every day, the task becomes an unnecessary distraction. And that’s not even getting into dimming, scene setting and personal lighting preferences; manually configuring these things can (and will!) distract everyone from the real purpose of an office space— a space for collaboration, comfort and energetic discussions!

All in all, choosing the best office lighting means minimising distractions and bringing everyone the seamless office experience that we all deserve.

3. Save money, save energy (and save the planet!)

Let’s cut to the chase. In many projects, choosing the best office lighting is often an overlooked and undervalued decision. Office lighting remains a David in the face of the Goliath of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), for example. However, it’s good to be aware that:

●  The best office lighting systems are often a smaller investment compared to other building technologies.

●  Intelligent office lighting systems can help you save upwards of 75% energy (or for example, 76.3274% and €3,362 annually in this office case study, to be precise!).

●  Wireless innovations and open technologies like DALI allow you to easily scale up and adapt your space to any future needs, saving you countless hours of configuration and disruptions.

●  You can even collect real-time data on space and energy usage, bringing you valuable insights that help you create your ideal space.

In other words, when it comes to the best office lighting, there’s really no sense in compromising. Intelligent office lighting is a quick win and a proven solution for improving wellbeing, saving money and reaching your sustainability goals.

4. Attract people to the office

67% of employees want more in-person work or collaboration. To address these needs and create an active, energetic and lively workplace, the prevailing advice is to “Make your office a place where people want to be”.  But as always, this sounds much easier said than done, doesn’t it?

Luckily, there is a shortcut and untapped opportunity still available for many working spaces. Guessed it already? The best office lighting systems allow you to:

●  Completely revamp the look and feel of your space, helping you to create a fresh and welcoming environment. What better way to encourage face-to-face collaboration than through a beautiful office redesign?

●  Enhance the office experience for everyone, boosting wellbeing and collaboration while allowing for easy individual personalisation.

●  Switch things up at a moment’s notice. Underutilised space? New social area? Or just a quick refresh? Intelligent office lighting is simple to adjust and should be the least of your worries.

If you’re struggling to bring people back to the office, think about the most impactful changes you can make to your space!

5. Create a space to be proud of

People are the most important part of any company. However, finding and retaining talent is becoming more and more difficult. Naturally, to address this challenge, we strive to have the best possible working environments. But how can we really prove that?

Achieving certifications like the WELL Building Standard could be the win-win-win that you’re looking for. Your people win because the office space is comfortable and inviting. Your company wins because you have an attractive and marketable accreditation. Our planet wins, because the technologies you use are energy-saving and sustainable.

As a core part of any office building, your lighting system must meet specific criteria to achieve a variety of certifications. With industry forerunners like Google and Microsoft constantly renovating their office spaces, it’s clear that work environments play a big role in a company’s success. So why not follow suit? Building certifications create strong positive impacts for you and your people, and good office lighting is nearly always a prerequisite.

6. Renovate with ease & short downtime

When we think of renovation, we might think of tearing down walls, causing a ton of noise and distractions, and possibly even closing the office.

Upgrading your office lighting, however, can be surprisingly fast and easy! For example, thanks to its artificially intelligent features, Helvar ActiveAhead can begin to work with minimal configuration, and can even be installed over the course of a lunch break, so you’ll have your working space up and running again in no time.

Let’s remember that 75% of all non-residential buildings in the EU were built before 1999. That’s when we still used dial-up internet, and before phones had Wi-Fi. Give your workspace some much-needed love!

We don’t know what the future holds, so it’s best to be prepared. What we do know is that when it comes to office lighting, having a modern control system will keep you one step ahead. Adjust and adapt your space as you please with minimal effort, all while improving wellbeing, saving energy and creating an attractive work environment.

Looking for office lighting ideas? Start with the fundamentals: lighting control!

Helvar is an international lighting technologies company specialising in intelligent and energy-saving lighting solutions. With 100 years of expertise, we serve our customers locally through offices in Finland, the UK, and Sweden, and via our global network of partners.

Written by: Maxim Goreansky. Maxim is a digital marketing specialist at Helvar, with a strong passion for people, technology and sustainable solutions.