How to Slash Your Business' Outdoor Lights Costs
Dark alleys, passageways, and buildings are anything but inviting. As a business owner, you have to pay special attention to your outdoor lighting to ensure that you don’t scare away your potential clients. Lighting not only allows you to see in the dark, but it can also mitigate the risks of accidents and crime. A well-lit exterior will let the customers know they are welcome on your premises and provide a safer work environment for the employees. Lighting solutions don’t necessarily have to rack up the utility bills. With the right strategies, you can adorn your property’s exterior with high-quality lights and still keep the electric bills low.
Install Energy-Efficient Lights
Long gone are the days when incandescent light bulbs were seen everywhere. Modern light bulbs are much more efficient, environmentally friendly, and affordable than their traditional counterparts. LEDs have tremendously risen in popularity over the past few years, rightfully so. Modern LEDs can provide up to 100 lumens per watt, which helps cut down costs and save energy. Another formidable and slightly cheaper option are CFLs. Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs can also help you save a lot of money on your outdoor light costs; however, they are not as efficient as LEDs. Consider swapping out your outdoor light bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives, and witness the fall in your electricity bills.
Go Smart and Automated
Modern LEDs are not only efficient, but some of them are smart as well. Engineers have integrated smart technology in modern LED lights to further cut down on energy consumption and, by extension, electric costs. With the fall in sensors’ prices, it is now more possible than ever to install remote control and automatic light bulbs without spending a fortune. With a smart system, you can control your lights remotely using a smartphone or a tablet. Furthermore, the sensors can detect whether it’s day and night and adjust the lighting accordingly. Depending on the luminance in the area, these lights can also change brightness levels to maintain consistent illumination. All these advanced features can help reduce your power consumption, prevent energy waste, and bring your electricity costs down.
Take the Environmentally Friendly Route
Light pollution is a real problem that affects wildlife all around the globe. According to recent studies on global light pollution, artificial lighting is said to impact the lives of insects, sea turtles, shorebirds, and many other innocent creatures. To deal with this rising problem and reduce light pollution, companies must install lights with low carbon emissions. This could save you from fines and help keep the utility costs down. Genuinely caring about the impact of your lighting system on wildlife and the environment can help you build an excellent corporate image and earn people’s trust.
Create a Lighting Plan
Randomly installing lights everywhere is probably not the best idea when setting up a lighting system. You must develop a design or blueprint to strategically install the lights in places where their efficiency can be maximized. Instead of installing two light bulbs close together, add a single unit in a place where both areas can be lit. This strategy will ensure that you don’t waste any resources and enable you to set up a lighting system that is easy to manage. You must also take notice of which areas need to be lit. Some areas may already get decent natural light, so they won’t require artificial lighting. A proper plan can go a long way in cutting down your electric bills.
Take Advantage of Solar Power
The ultimate investment any company can make is installing a solar-powered lighting system. Solar power is a renewable and environmentally-friendly energy source that eliminates the need to burn fossil fuels to generate electricity. It provides clean and continuous energy that can power your outdoor lights without causing further harm to the environment. This one-time investment can help you cut down electricity costs for good. Another fantastic advantage of solar lighting systems is the lack of maintenance and management they require. They transform sunlight into electricity and save it in batteries for nighttime. These cost-efficient solar systems can power lampposts, alleyways, security lights, and anything else that requires electricity to work.
Obey the Rules
To keep your utility costs down, you must monitor your company’s energy consumption, and make sure your outdoor lights are switched on at the right times. All businesses must also follow the guidelines set by their local government to ensure light pollution is minimized. Every area, state, or country has specific rules regarding the use of lights. These rules may specify the pattern of lighting you can use, the maximum number of units you can install, the times when you can and cannot turn your outdoor lights on, and more. To ensure you are on the right side of the law, check out your state’s regulations and make sure you follow all the guidelines. Following the guidelines can save you from fines and help reduce your utility bills as well.
Get Rid of Extra Lights
It is a no-brainer that you must get rid of any additional and unnecessary lights if you want to save on electric costs. While customers appreciate a well-lit storefront or business office, too much lighting can irritate their eyes. Try not to go overboard with your lighting and only install enough units to evenly light up the area. To make sure your exterior is well-lit without wasting energy, try to come up with an efficient solution using as few lighting units as possible.
Monitor the Lights
If you set regular operational hours for your outdoor lighting, you can prevent energy waste, stick to your state’s regulatory guidelines, and cut down your utility costs. Regularly monitoring your lighting system can go a long way in increasing its life expectancy as well. Furthermore, you will be able to quickly find and fix any malfunctioning units, which could save you from having to replace them entirely.
Your outdoor lighting costs can easily burn a hole in your wallet. However, if you follow the simple steps mentioned above, you can reduce your business’s utility bills significantly. Most of these methods require you to use sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, which is another bonus. Companies that employ eco-friendly solutions often have better reputations and customer retention rates than those who don’t care about the environment. Even though the newer technology will be a tad bit expensive, it will be worth it in the long run.