For any type of commercial premises, it is important to ensure all external lighting is fit for winter.
Winter means shorter days, with darker mornings and evenings, and external lighting is therefore critical in providing essential safety and security.
Why External Lighting Matters
External lighting is essential for people’s safety and security, and, importantly, also for how they perceive these things.
This is especially true for premises which will have clients and customers visiting it in the winter months.
No one wants to keep a business appointment, or make a shopping trip, if they feel their personal safety might be compromised.
Therefore, external lighting is about protecting your bottom line, as much as anything else.
Furthermore, when it comes to costs, doing a health check on your external lighting and uncovering where there is the most expense, can expose weaknesses but also point towards efficiencies.
These include energy saving external lighting solutions, using LEDs.
When the Nights are Drawing In
When it starts to get dark at around 4pm, then there are more issues to do with visibility and lighting than there are when the evenings, and mornings are lighter.
There are health and safety issues to do with employee safety in the workplace.
The Health and Safety Executive, HSE, points out the significant risk to business that poor lighting presents. This is through more people having time off work due to accidents and injuries, with the consequence of increased absenteeism and a loss of productivity.
HSE recommends that employers should identify priorities and set targets when it comes to improving lighting in the workplace. A big part of this is lighting design, and this has an impact on external as well as internal lighting.
One vital quality external lighting should have is a reasonable uniform illuminance.
External lighting should minimise the amount of shadows being cast, and also avoid glare.
It is also important to avoid excessive contrast in illuminance when it comes to external security lighting.
External Lighting for Business Security
Security should be a major business concern at any time of year, but the increased amount of darkness at winter can make it all the more urgent.
External lighting is a deterrent for thieves, especially if they are considering an opportunistic raid on premises.
Again, the right lighting design is critical, otherwise there is the risk that it will create shadows or glare, both of which can actually work in a thief’s favour by making them less rather than more easy to spot.
What to Watch Out for With Winter External Lighting
In winter, it is important to check your external lighting diligently and systematically.
This means carrying out repairs and replacements and ensuring any daylight sensors are also working properly.
Are your external lights energy efficient? With an increased dependency on lighting during winter, could you be making much greater savings with your lighting?
Another way of saving on lighting costs is with fixed cost maintenance cover for your lighting.
To find out more about ensuring your external lighting is fit for winter, please call us on 01282 450525, or complete our online contact form.
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