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Multi-Family Lighting Solutions
Office lighting is about more than seeing the papers on your desk—it can be the difference between a sluggish staff and an invigorating work environment. For this reason, commercial lighting fixtures for your office must meet certain requirements to be a success.
From effective illumination for work tasks to energy efficiency to lower utility costs, there are many factors to consider for office lighting.
In this article, we'll explore the three kinds of office lighting, a few different types of fixtures for your office setting and why Warehouse-Lighting.com is the best place to shop for the right office lighting products for your property. If you already know what you need, you can go straight to our full range of office ceiling lighting.
Lighting Fixtures for Your Office Environment
While some offices have large open spaces that use skylights and large windows to take advantage of natural light, offices typically require artificial lighting solutions to illuminate their workspace.
The main types of indoor lighting used in offices tend to come from the big three: incandescent, fluorescent/compact fluorescent (CFL), and LED.
Incandescent Office Lighting
Incandescent bulbs are the least desirable lighting option in terms of office lights. Incandescent lights are found in older office fixtures. The least energy-efficient of the three, incandescent bulbs burn at a hotter temperature, consume more energy, and have a shorter average life rating.
Its one practical advantage is that it reaches full output the instant you flip the switch, with no warm-up. The filament is tungsten rather than mercury, so disposal is simpler than with fluorescent, but that does not offset the energy penalty.
Federal efficiency standards have phased out most general-service incandescent bulbs, so you will not be specifying them for new commercial work. Where they still turn up in offices it is decorative — accent and task fixtures in reception or lounge areas rather than ambient ceiling lighting.
Fluorescent Office Lights
When compared to its incandescent counterpart, fluorescent lighting may be considered a better solution. It lasts almost 20 times longer than incandescent in most cases. It also burns at a cooler temperature while offering a higher lumen output. Fluorescent/CFL bulbs are not without fault, though. They often use mercury which can be tricky to dispose of safely and they are more prone to flickering than other options. Fluorescent ceiling fixtures offer a wide scope of illumination, and T8 and T5 tubes are still in service in a great many offices because they are easy to swap.
That said, fluorescent is on its way out. A growing number of states have passed legislation restricting or banning the sale of fluorescent lamps on mercury grounds, which means replacement tubes get harder to source over the life of the fixture. If you are already opening up a ceiling, replacing the fixture with LED is usually the better call than re-lamping something you may not be able to buy tubes for in a few years.
LED Office Lighting
LED lighting is seen as the best solution for many reasons:
- Longest-lasting: LED office lights run anywhere from 25,000 to 100,000 hours. Unlike fluorescent lamps, they hold their output quality across that life, and because they run cooler they are less prone to heat-related failure.
- Low wattage: LEDs deliver the highest lumen output per watt of the three, which is what drives the utility savings.
- Cost-effective: The up-front cost is higher than incandescent or fluorescent, but the combination of longer life and lower draw returns it, and DLC-listed fixtures often qualify for utility rebates that shorten the payback further.
- Versatile: LEDs come in every format an office needs — flat panels, troffers, tubes, downlights, and suspended linear.
When considering the different types of office lighting, you should evaluate which factors are most important to your location such as cost, energy consumption, or output. Once you have decided the best one to meet your needs, then you can start looking into which model is the best fit for your location.
Types of Office Lighting Fixtures
Four fixture types cover almost every office job: flat panels and troffers for suspended grid ceilings, recessed downlights for drywall, and suspended linear for open or architectural spaces. All four are stocked in our office ceiling lighting range.
Flat Panel LED Light Fixtures
The right overhead lighting solution can make your space brighter and more productive for office staff. LED flat panel ceiling lights are a high-performing solution, featuring traditional-style lighting fixtures nestled behind ceiling panels to provide light for the entire office space while keeping office light fixtures out of sight.
Flat panel LED lights typically come in three sizes for adaptable installation in your ceiling grid:
- Rectangular: (1x4) LED flat panel
- Rectangular: (2x4) LED flat panel
- Square: (2x2) LED flat panel
As well as determining the right shape and size of your flat panel LED office lighting fixtures, you'll need to determine which configuration is best for your office space:
- Edge-Lit Panels: The LEDs sit around the perimeter of the frame and fire into a light-guide plate, which spreads the light across the face of the panel.
- Back-Lit Panels: The LEDs sit behind the diffuser and shine straight through it. This generally gives more uniform brightness across the panel face, and back-lit units are typically less expensive, which has made them the more common choice.
Suspended Office Lights
There are office spaces that require a more nuanced light source. In these instances, you can create beautiful lighting with suspended office lights. Linear suspended LED office lights provide a lovely diffused light that is easy on the eyes while providing ample light output. Easy to install and maintain, there are more than a few different styles to choose from in this type of architectural lighting fixture.
Recessed Lighting Fixtures
LED recessed lighting is installed into openings in the office ceiling at evenly spaced intervals. In this way, recessed lights create patterns of light that shine from the ceiling, with a direct light that's concentrated in a downward direction.
Office Lighting Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions others have asked about office lighting fixtures.
What types of lights are used in office settings?
Three light sources show up in offices: incandescent, fluorescent, and LED. Incandescent is effectively retired by federal efficiency standards and now only appears in decorative accent fixtures. Fluorescent T8 and T5 tubes are still in service in many buildings, but state-level sales restrictions are making replacement lamps harder to source. LED is the standard for any new office work, and it is what almost everything in our office ceiling lighting range uses.
What types of lighting fixtures are used in office settings?
Four types cover most jobs. Flat panels and troffers drop into suspended grid ceilings. Recessed downlights suit drywall ceilings in private offices and conference rooms. Suspended linear fixtures work in open-plan and architectural spaces where the fixture is meant to be seen.
What are the best office lighting fixtures to use in a drop ceiling?
There are two types of light fixture solutions that work well in drop ceilings:
- Troffer Light Fixtures: Troffer light fixtures illuminate indoor spaces and are placed in T-bar ceilings, grid ceilings or suspended ceilings. They can be laid into a ceiling grid that is recessed and sit above the grid but can also be suspended or surface-mounted.
- LED Flat Panel Lights: This is the most common type of lighting fixture in warehouse lighting as well as office spaces. Flat panel light fixtures are installed behind ceiling tiles.
Warehouse-Lighting.com Has the Best Solutions for Your Office Lighting Fixtures
Whether you're lighting individual offices or large open spaces, Warehouse-Lighting.com has the right lighting fixtures to get the job done. Our experienced professionals will help you choose the lighting fixtures for your next project.
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