Installing the right lights in offices is important as these can set the mood for increased productivity among employees. Planners, operators and users therefore have very high expectations from lighting systems. A combination of natural daylight, artificial light and smart light management systems provides optimal lighting in a workplace
By Belal Khan
Market trends
Today, luminaires with a modern design fulfil requirements in modern offices on executive floors, while intelligent light control systems with a zonal function help to divide the room into separate working and meeting areas.
Pleasant, productive lighting achieves an impressively high degree of energy efficiency in addition to perfect illuminance and good colour reproduction.
The result: efficient illumination and minimal maintenance costs.
“Two areas where we have found interesting developments are eco-solutions and the Internet of Things (IoT) applications,” says Ashok Gangar, director, sales and marketing for Anchor Electricals.
Today, leaders around the world – in businesses and in the bureaucracy – have pledged to implement eco-solutions and renewables. But this only makes sense if it’s implemented in personal offices as well as in the corridors.
In offices, LED lighting that enables efficient power usage, particularly if that power is sourced from renewable resources, helps in taking a step towards a more sustainable future.
Companies are looking at making the lives of those who use their products, simpler, safer and more comfortable through eco-friendly energy saving products and solutions.
“With IoT, we can expand smart technology to affect not just your laptop and smartphones, but create an overall ecosystem where all appliances are connected seamlessly. These applications are also expandable, in the sense that cloud computing will allow smart technology to be incorporated more seamlessly. For example, just imagine if you had an app on your phone which allowed you to control all the lights in the building. That could be priceless,” adds Gangar.
What customers should look for while choosing products
No matter how clichéd this sounds, higher efficiency and longer product life should be the twin priorities when choosing lighting products.
Several companies/clients choose products with only cost in mind, but when employees are exposed to light radiation for long periods, issues such as sustainability and employee health need to be looked at.
Suggestions to large institutional buyers
“Enterprises have large facilities and implementation has to be done carefully. However, since costs can be an impediment, large buyers should be the ones that embrace smart solutions before the rest, simply because this will help businesses control their expenses, as well as being better for them, with regard to sustainability,” Gangar adds.
Products offered by the companies
In the recent past, Anchor has unveiled a vast assortment of 276 trendsetting professional LED products featuring the SmartArchi series of high-end architectural luminaires, the PROiD series of integral-type LED base lights, and a commercial range of luminaires in 2014-15.
The company is expanding its commercial luminaires basket with 50 additional products comprising LED bulbs, spotlights, downlights, panel lights and LED battens.
The company has also developed something unique called Feu, which means ‘flame’ in French. Feu was developed in collaboration with the Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan.
Osram LED lamps are available in a wide range of designs for office lighting. Outstanding colour reproduction makes them an attractive lighting solution for offices.
The innovative technology used to generate the directed light reduces overall energy consumption and minimises the thermal load in the light cone, while a long service life guarantees low maintenance costs.
Glare-free luminaires ensure that the working environment is undisturbed, and the lights comply with all relevant standards.
GE offers lighting designers and commercial property owners innovative solutions that combine the latest in LED technology with stylish designs.
The future
At present, the LED lighting market size in India is pegged at ₹ 30 billion. Frost & Sullivan expects the Indian LED market to grow to over US$ 1 billion in the next four years.
The market has been growing at a rate of 38 per cent to 40 per cent per year, over the last three years, probably in response to the impetus given to energy-saving by the government. Therefore, this is a good time to invest in LED lighting in the office and at home.
“With IoT, we can expand smart technology to affect not just your laptop and smartphones, but create an overall ecosystem where all appliances are connected seamlessly.
Ashok Gangar, director, sales and marketing, Anchor Electricals