Sitting under fluorescent office lighting all day can drain both your energy and your wallet. Making the switch to LED lighting in your office has benefits that you might not have known existed, which is why we’ve created a list of the top 4 reasons you should upgrade your office lighting to LED.

1. Energy Savings

Who doesn’t like the word savings? Compared to conventional lighting, LED lighting can reduce your electricity consumption by up to 50%! This is a huge saving on your electricity bill means you will have more money to spend on your company elsewhere. The immediate return on investment (ROI) from maintenance and energy-savings can pay for the entire project in as little as one year. On top of that, Energy Focus tubes come with a 10-year warranty, meaning we place so much trust in the quality of our lamps that we will replace a tube if it fails within 10 years of the installation date. As you may know, fluorescent tubes may only last a few years if you’re lucky and replacing tubes may be a burden.

2. Color Quality

Have you ever noticed everything looks a little green or purple under fluorescent lighting? This is due to the color spectrum spiking in those color regions. With LED, the color output is much closer to the same color output from sunlight. The smooth curve across the full spectrum of visible wavelengths of light result in a more saturated, vivid, discriminable color rendering and effortless visual acuity. Directional LED tubes also provide more illumination on working surfaces, rather than the diffuse glow produced by gas-filled fluorescent tubes. The correlated color temperature, color rendering, and luminous efficacy of LED lights combine to improve visibility to create a better working environment. LED lighting is bluer in its wavelength spectrum, meaning it will keep workers more alert and focused during the day – eliminating that 3:00 PM work slump.

3. Cognitive Improvements

Most of us try to get a good night’s sleep, but it can be impaired if the office lighting isn’t conducive to staying alert during the day. A healthy sleep/wake cycle is crucial to mental cognition. Our bodies’ roughly 24-hour cycle is governed by hormonal responses that are triggered by full-spectrum light – light provided by sunlight and LED, but not fluorescent. The US Army conducted a study with Tufts University showing that LED lighting resulted in increased productivity over fluorescent lighting. With workers being able to complete tasks more efficiently, overall company productivity will increase creating a happier, healthier work environment for everyone.

4. Flicker in Lighting

Frequencies of light above the visible threshold have been demonstrated to cause headaches and eyestrain. The sensitivity to flicker in this threshold and above is a spectrum, and the effects on the population are not quantified. However, studies have shown that performance on tasks decreases with long exposure to high levels of flicker in lighting. Persons with epilepsy can be triggered by LED lighting with high rates of flicker, making an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous work environment, so it’s crucial to do your research and choose a lighting manufacturer that produces flicker-free products. Energy Focus is proud to be the first company to provide UL-verified <1% LED products.

If you’re interested in seeing how Energy Focus can help you make the switch to LEDs, contact us and a customer service agent will be able to help you get started!