Manufacturing, assembling, and warehousing have been growing in importance ever since the Industrial Revolution. Innovation is continuous and it creates extreme competition to produce more products more efficiently. These days, facilities are very large and run long hours, which places stress on equipment, labor, and energy use. Every resource used is studied so that it can improve a business’ bottom line, and the use of LED lighting can now make a huge positive impact on your energy costs.
The vast height and span of modern warehouse ceilings creates high energy use to light the working area. Until now, the only way to fight this was to use the least amount of light possible, which caused the following negative side-effects:
- Excess fatigue – after working long hours, employees begin to squint to read or see objects better. This increases risk of headaches, neck and shoulder pain, and poor mood and psychological state.
- Increased risk of injury – limited ability to see can lead to more accidents, from forklift operators missing their marks to falling objects that weren’t put away precisely enough to stacks of items not being square enough and falling over.
- Decreased production – both of the above result in less man hours used, duplicated efforts, or even stoppages of production. Also, when typical ceiling lights go out, the time, effort, and resources used simply to change the bulb(s) because of how difficult they are to reach will lessen your productivity.
However, the technology of LED lighting (or “Brilliant Lighting”) has changed the scope of the conversation about industrial energy use. The old strategy was focused on using less light energy to save pennies, whereas LEDs now allow businesses to increase the amount of light applied to their operations and save dollars at the same time.
Here are factors to consider about converting your warehouse to LED lighting:
- Operational expenses will decrease for all businesses, up to 70% in some cases.
- Working conditions will be improved, leading to maximum production.
- The extremely long life expectancy of LED lights (up to 100,000 hours) will eliminate the need to lease equipment to change them every year.
- When LEDs do require replacement, they darken, rather than completely going out, which can avoid costly disruptions.
- The energy used to turn LEDs on and off is also minimal, which allows you to program them to come on and off more frequently without added cost.
- LEDs allow you to achieve corporate goals like lowering your carbon footprint.
- Your local government may offer subsidies or energy reserve funds for switching to LEDs. (Ask us about your specific business area)
- Automated warehouse robots can require a specific measure of light, which LEDs can easily achieve and regulate for you.
Green Is Better can ensure that your lighting does the most for your bottom line over the long term. Contact our lighting specialists now to plan a free energy review session!
