How businesses can shine year-round

In the past, exterior lighting represented winter holidays, but now we see lighting year-round illuminating office buildings, shops, outdoor workspaces and restaurant patios. Trends in exterior lighting options for businesses are changing, from types of bulbs, to permanence, to completely customizable configurations. Businesses should be looking at future trends to make their establishments shine above the rest.

Think permanent

Exterior lighting provides big benefits for businesses when it comes to aesthetics – especially those with patios, outdoor meeting areas and other popular outdoor spaces. But beyond the aesthetic nature of exterior lighting, safety and security are both serious considerations for businesses. During the dark winter months when employees arrive and depart from work mostly in the dark, proper exterior lighting can reduce the risk of theft and personal injury.

More and more, business are turning to permanent exterior lighting solutions. For most businesses, hanging light strands during the holidays – or at any time of the year – typically means either the added expense of paying a contractor to hang lights, or for smaller businesses, taking an employee off of his or her regular tasks to hang lights. With permanent lighting solutions, businesses of all sizes can avoid the cost and distraction of hanging and removing lights, while also increasing safety, security and ambiance year-round.

When exploring exterior lighting options, businesses should also make sure lighting products are equipped with weather resistant materials and utilize the best lighting technology. Lighting companies that see an opportunity in this new space have developed products to withstand harsh weather elements and have incorporated LED technology for light longevity and overall cost savings.

Think green with LED

Last year, the Super Bowl used LED lighting to shine on the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. According to an article in Gizmodo, by upgrading 780 fixtures to LED, the stadium reduced energy use by 75 percent. Not only LED lighting an investment in green technology, it also reduces a business’s electricity costs. The green benefits of LED are two-fold; businesses of all sizes can both save money and promote environmentally responsible business practices.

There are more than 130 incentives and rebate programs throughout the state of Colorado to provide assistance to those who incorporate energy saving methods to homes and businesses. The upfront cost of LED lighting may seem cost prohibitive to many small businesses, but most businesses find that LED makes better fiscal sense once they factor in any reimbursements from a utility company and the projected cost savings over the lifetime of the bulb.

Think Internet of Things

Businesses continuously look at current practices to make sure operations are running as efficiently as possible. The ability to connect to business functions and operations via smart devices has changed the way some companies operate in a big way.

Companies now have the ability to connect to various parts of networks and operations via smart devices, and that includes exterior lighting. LED technology has opened the door for new opportunities to become savvy in lighting connectivity. Companies are developing sensors and software that enable lighting colors, timing and configuration to all be controlled through an app. This technology makes for timely transitions for special occasions or events easy to manage.

Lighting has always been part of our culture, calling out whether a business is open or closed in bright fluorescent lights, illuminating the New Year’s Eve Ball decadence onto Times Square, lighting the path for safe passage and so much more. For today’s businesses, advancements in exterior lighting make it easier, safer and more efficient than ever to shine bright, 365 days a year.