Making a Case for Green Energy Management Solutions in Retail Spaces

Most businesses want to do their part to show that they are taking pressing environmental concerns seriously but many are unsure of where to start. Some are even concerned that moving towards greener technology is prohibitively expensive.

Fortunately, choosing innovative energy solutions doesn’t have to be unaffordable. There are small steps that any business can take to improve its energy efficiency and save money along the way.

How Smart Building Lighting Control Helps Curb Climbing Energy Costs

A small change that can significantly impact your business’s bottom line is a simple switch from high-energy using halogen or incandescent lightbulbs to energy-efficient LED lighting.

Retail spaces have a lot riding on how to best present their products to consumers. A lot of time is spent getting the design, layout, and lighting of a retail outlet just right and up until recently, lighting solutions almost always included inefficient halogen, incandescent, or fluorescent bulbs.

With a growing spotlight shining on the importance of energy conservation, smart building and smart lighting control are becoming increasingly common in commercial, retail, and residential spaces. In some areas, building codes have been updated to include a maximum allowable power density for new builds and to encourage the use of smart building lighting controls. Governments and utility providers have also rolled out incentives offering generous rebates to businesses that switch to efficient LED lighting.

Here are four reasons why you might want to make the switch too.

Create a Welcoming Environment for Consumers

Overly harsh, outdated, or dull lighting can have a significant impact on a shopper’s perception before they’ve even had a chance to start browsing. Upgraded lighting is a simple, affordable way to make your retail outlet more inviting. LED lightbulbs are available in a wide range of warmth levels and brightness giving you the flexibility to choose the one that best compliments your space and vision.

With smart building lighting control, lighting intensity can be customized based on the time of day. During the early morning rush, shoppers may prefer bright, energizing lighting, while they may prefer calm soothing light later in the day.

Improve the Appearance of Retail Displays

Retrofitted lighting solutions with energy-efficient LED bulbs to allow you to enhance the appearance of your goods. Customized lighting solutions can benefit all businesses but are particularly important to those that rely on lighting to showcase their products, like jewelry stores and apparel outlets.

Replace Bulbs Less Often

Many LED lightbulbs have a lifespan of over 60,000 hours which is about ten times longer than other types of commonly used bulbs. Dramatically improved longevity means you will be spending significantly less on routine lighting maintenance costs while minimizing the disruption created by replacing bulbs in hard-to-reach places.

Reduce Energy Expenditure

Aesthetics aside, the biggest difference you will notice by switching to efficient LED lighting is a massive reduction in your monthly energy costs. LED lights can shave as much as 75% off your monthly energy bill. Put into perspective, that could add up to a savings of more than $15,000 per year for a typical 2,000 square foot retail outlet.

Smart building lighting control can also help retail businesses improve their efficiency and save on their energy bills. Sensors and timers can be used to specify lighting levels depending on external conditions or the time of day, automatically lowering when it is light out and increasing brightness when it is dark or rainy.