Workplace design has gone through an evolution over recent decades. And more recently, the “great work from home experiment” forced businesses to rethink the entire purpose of their offices. Where once the office was a place where we physically have to be to carry out the work, the new post-Covid workspace is a destination, where the teams want to come to and collaborate. Great design aside, the new post-Covid office is based around three pillars: wellbeing, sustainability, and technology.
As business owners, you will already know that nice looking offices are a dealbreaker when people are considering joining your company. Desirable workplace impacts every aspect of work and social capital-from productivity, mood and atmosphere through to the health and wellbeing of your teams. And before you think that clients are not likely to come to your office for a meeting, think twice-the fluorescent lighting with hideous parabolic louvers above your team’s heads on Zoom call says a lot about your business. And let’s be honest, dated lighting doesn’t make your office Instagram friendly, either.
As business owners, we are interested in a healthy P&L, staying on the right side of the law, wellbeing of our team and increasingly, in sustainability. So how can lighting design suppliers help your business?
1. Money Talks.
New lighting can mean a large bill for your business. There are ways of financing your new office fit out and lighting. Finance lease is the most popular one, as it is 100% tax deductible. While the Hire purchase doesn’t come with the tax benefits of the finance lease, you can still maximize available capital allowances.
Any expenditure on your property, be it a refurbishment, fit out, or new-build, can give you an opportunity to claim capital allowance. Lighting and other items like heating, air conditioning systems and electrical systems are listed as integral features.
Put very simply, if a business has £100K of taxable profit, their tax bill is going to be around £19k (19% of £100k). If that same business spends £50K on new lighting for their offices, their "taxable profit" is now £50K, and the tax bill will be reduced to £8k (19% of £50k). You now have a new efficient and good looking lighting system and reduced your tax bill over a half. You will need to speak to your accountant to help you with the capital claim allowance.
So how much can you save?
If you are still running the old CAT 2 fittings or even older, you are pouring money away. Here is a practical example using our own 7,000 sq ft commercial building.
The 2,000 sq ft upstairs office space was lit by tubular fluorescent lights and the downstairs 5,000 sq ft storage area was using sodium high bay fittings and halogen downlights. According to the Decarbonisation report, by changing the entire system to LED lighting, we are expecting to save 9,785 kWh annually, which is 44% reduction in energy consumption, 4.4t in CO2emissions, translating into £1,360 annual savings on electricity bills. A saving worth having.
Your new lighting can be further enhanced with the use of dimming, controls and sensors. These tools are here to ensure light is only on, when people are present. Light is only emitted to the intensity that is comfortable for the users. We are talking marginal gains here, but in the long term, it all contributes to the bottom line.
It might be tempting to try to source new office or warehouse lighting yourself and maybe swap-like for like. Undoubtedly, there is plenty of choice online. Using lighting design suppliers like 299, who work on large commercial schemes should give you assurance that products that we will put forward for your new premises or refurbishment are going to be professional luminaires.
We source our products carefully and only use luminaires which we can support down the line. We are never going to be the cheapest on the market, but they say buy cheap, buy twice.
2. Compliance.
A report from Hilclare found that 44% of English firms ‘don’t have the correct’ emergency lighting.
We Commercial lighting design suppliers like 299 will ensure that your new lighting is designed to meet the current guidelines and regulations, including implementation of emergency lighting. There are real consequences of poor emergency lighting practice and ignoring can be a costly mistake. We will take care of all compliance so you don’t have to worry and can focus on your business.
3. Wellbeing of your team.
When you are ready to address the lighting in your office, warehouse or any commercial property, professional lighting designer can help you make the important decisions like selecting the right product for the right environment. We will look at how you use your space and select luminaires that help your team to stay focused, or fittings that are more suitable for break out spaces and calmer areas. We will help you select the right colour temperature and optics to ensure comfortable lighting and low glare on your desks.
Studies show up to 80% of employees rate lighting as an important factor in workplace satisfaction.
If you would like to take things further, you can look into Tunable White technology. Luminaires using Tunable White come as close as possible to the circadian rhythm. Scientific studies have shown that when indoor light mimics the warm to cool cycle of natural daylight, people receive a number of benefits, including a more restful night's sleep and greater alertness during the day. The main benefit of professionally sourced office lighting is that it doesn’t flicker and it doesn’t blast people with too much light.
4. Sustainability.
It’s good to know where the product you are buying comes from. At 299, we source our luminaires from professional manufacturers in Europe. Increasingly, we are adding new products into our range that are manufactured in the UK. Our first Made in Britain certified range of linear luminaires CLYDE is already being specified and delivered on substantial projects across the UK. We made sure that this product comes to site in cardboard packaging and no plastic.
5. Enhancing your branding.
Professionally designed lighting will improve the spacial orientation and can be used to enhance your branding too. If you are trying to achieve cool and contemporary brand image, your office or showroom needs to be cool and contemporary, too.
Studies show up to 80% of employees rate lighting as an important factor in workplace satisfaction. Well designed lighting creates and defines spaces. Even before we flick that switch or trigger that sensor, the best lighting designs begin from understanding the specific needs of every individual workplace. More than that, professionally done lighting design can lead to substantial energy savings, increase the sustainability of your commercial building, and ensure your team’s safety during an emergency.
Well designed lighting creates and defines spaces. Even before we flick that switch or trigger that sensor, the best lighting designs begin from understanding the specific needs of every individual workplace. More than that, professionally done lighting design can lead to substantial energy savings, increase the sustainability of your commercial building, and ensure your team’s safety during an emergency.
Over 13 years, we have delivered well over 1600 commercial projects of various sizes. We worked with the UK's most renowned architectural practices, workplace design specialist and fit out experts. Equally, we delivered some fantastic projects directly with business which approached us. We know that working directly with a client requires perhaps more hand holding than working with professional specifiers, but working with the actual client directly can be very rewarding.
For everything you need to know about lighting for your office space, visit our Guide to Office Lighting.
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