Good lighting is crucial in workspaces, and a workshop is no different. It is important to implement an excellent lighting design as this feature significantly impacts work quality. A good luminary design increases productivity and promotes employee safety. 

With a good light system, you can ensure that every aspect of your work process operates smoothly. To further improve efficiency, many workshops are implementing energy efficient luminaires. If you want to improve your efficiency and promote work safety, here is everything you need to know about workshop LED lights. 

What Is Workshop Lighting?

Lighting is an essential tool in any workshop. A good lighting system is important as it allows a seamless work process and ensures your creativity. Proper workshop lighting improves work management, safer operations, and improves storage of products. 

A bright level of illumination is also great for improving visibility in certain areas. If you are involved in a high-risk work process, it is important to install luminaries that reduce workplace hazards. 

Workshops are an important part of a business's system; therefore, if you want to ensure the steady growth of your company, you need a well-illuminated workshop. Poorly lit workshops can lead to decreased productivity, accidents, and higher utility bills. Since lights remain operational for a long time in workshops, it is important to seek out energy efficient solutions. 

Special workshop lights are designed to meet the lighting requirements of a workshop work environment. These luminaries are designed with industrial settings in mind, which means they provide intense illumination that withstands multiple hazards. Therefore, you should not opt for standard lighting as these will not work best in this application. 

One of the best energy efficient lamps for workshops is LED lamps. LED workshop lights have a long lifespan, and these lights do not consume a lot of energy, especially when compared to other traditional workshop lighting.

Why Is Good Workshop Lighting Important?

If you want a workshop to operate smoothly, you must look for efficient lighting solutions that provide good illumination. These types of lights improve productivity and ensure the safety of workshop employees. 

Poor lighting can lead to various hazards and drastically decline the work quality of the workshop. Workshops are also usually deprived of natural light; therefore, it is important to put in light fixtures that will provide adequate illumination.

Apart from these factors, here are some reasons why you should opt for proper workshop lights. 

Improve Work Visibility Levels

Most workshops also have high shelves and narrow corridors. Therefore, you must look for light fixtures that provide better visibility. To achieve improved visibility, you must look for LED workshop lighting with a narrow light beam angle. This will light up important areas and improve the work experience. 

Reduce Work Incidents And Accidents

Heavy machinery is commonly found in most workshops which is why it is important to have proper illumination to reduce accidents. Without proper lighting, heavy machine operators can not see what they are doing and run into shelves or, even worse, injure someone. 

Effective lighting helps operators use machinery without damaging property and fellow employees.

Reduce Production And Employee Mistakes

With good lighting, such as workshop LED lights, you can get rid of dimly lit spots in the area. These include places where employees might strain their eyesight to see paperwork and labels. When employees see better, they make fewer mistakes. 

Reduce Employee Fatigue

If your workshop has proper illumination levels, your employees are less likely to feel lethargic during midday hours. 

Proper lighting ensures that workshop workers remain alert and productive. It is important to ensure the lighting produces the correct colour temperature and brightness level to achieve this level of productivity. 

Keep Operating Costs Low

LED workshop lighting is one of the most efficient types of lighting on the market. These do not waste energy compared to incandescent lamps. LED lighting is also much more efficient than fluorescent lamps, so you can keep your energy costs low without interrupting your light use. 

LED workshop lights are also cool to the touch and do not produce heat energy, unlike traditional luminaries. This heat energy can become an even bigger strain on your energy bills; therefore, switching to LEDs is much more cost-effective for workshop purposes. 

What Are Energy Efficient Lights? 

Before looking at LED workshop lighting, it is important to understand what energy efficient lights are and how they work. This will help consumers make the best use of their energy efficient luminaires. 

Energy efficient lighting is the modern way of illuminating spaces without worrying about energy costs. These lights reduce the energy usage of the light model without affecting the final lumen output or brightness. 

An energy efficient light fixture consumes less energy to perform the same function as a standard light. These qualities are at the core of energy efficient lighting. It is important to understand that energy consumption does not correlate to the quality of brightness. 

While most traditional light bulbs use wattage to determine their quality, these innovative lamps focus on the light output instead. Therefore, if you are looking for high-quality energy efficiency, consider the lumen output instead of the wattage. 

There are several ways to implement energy efficient luminaires. Energy efficient lighting also has better structural integrity than other lighting. These luminaries have better circuitry than conventional lights. 

A common component in some energy efficiency lights is a dimmer switch. This switch provides even more efficient use of your energy. You can also use a dimmer solution for LED workshop lighting. Since workshops are quite large, it is possible that not all areas will remain occupied throughout the day. You can dim unoccupied areas with dimmer LED workshop lighting to save on energy costs. 

Large-Scale Shift Towards Energy Efficient Lighting

Consumers are switching to energy efficient lighting in their households, but there is also change happening on a larger scale. Many governments and legislation are urging people to switch to energy-efficient light products instead of their traditional counterparts. 

One reason for this shift is increasing knowledge of inefficient lighting and its impact on the environment. Traditional light bulbs are harmful to the environment as they are not sustainable and cannot be recycled. 

The bulbs also sometimes contain toxic gasses that can do significant damage to the environment. The strain on power grids from traditional lighting is also a major concern, especially due to increasing energy cap prices. Lighting is a basic requirement of any building, whether residential or commercial. 

Lighting is a major part of our daily life and impacts our day-to-day activities. Since lighting is so important, it also consumes a significant portion of energy.  Such high energy consumption levels are not sustainable, and you will experience higher energy costs in the future. 

To combat such issues, energy efficient lighting is crucial. Industries' energy consumption accounts for 26% of Europe’s total energy usage. A major part of this energy goes toward lighting. 

Workshop lighting tends to be strong and, therefore, a bigger strain on the power grid. These locations also constantly use light energy, which leads to higher energy bills. Due to these factors, lighting is an important area where energy must be conserved. 

LED workshop lighting provides a major solution to these concerns. There have been major changes to drive forward the use of energy efficient lighting in terms of wider application. Several government legislatures are urging manufacturers to scale back on the production of inefficient lighting. This change is happening worldwide, and even the UK plans to phase out all inefficient lighting by 2023. 

One way governments are implementing these strategies is by involving manufacturers. These governments are also incentivising manufacturers to produce more efficient light solutions. The awareness of energy efficient lighting is also increasing, and many people are seeking out energy efficient bulbs instead of their traditional counterparts. Due to this high demand, you can expect the energy efficient light industry to reach £324 billion by 2027. 

With high demand, there will be many more economical and efficient light products to choose from in the future. With the rise of climate change awareness, consumers are also seeking environmentally-friendly and sustainable lighting products. 

Energy efficient lighting such as LEDs is highly efficient and also sustainable. As mentioned before, these lights do not contain any harmful chemicals that would make it difficult to dispose of them. Traditional light bulbs contain trace amounts of mercury which is highly toxic when released. Even broken shards of incandescent light bulbs can lead to mercury build-up in groundwater. 

Energy efficient LEDs can also be recycled easily, unlike other traditional bulbs. These lights do not produce blue waves, which hinders productivity. Since productivity is a major concern in workshops, it is important to use efficient light sources such as LED workshop lighting. 

What Are The Different Types Of Workshop Lighting?

There are several different types of workshop lighting; however, there are three that are commonly used in multiple workshops. Here are the three common types of workshop lighting. 

Metal Halide Lamps

Metal halide lamps are one of the most common workshop lighting options. These lamps have an electric light that produces energy through a combination of electricity and a mixture of gasses. 

These gasses contain vaporised mercury and metal halide compounds of bromine and iodine. This lamp is often referred to as a high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp. These luminaries were developed in the 1960s, and they operate just like the mercury vapour of a halogen lamp. 

However, the metal halide lamp contains additional compounds in the arc tube, which improve its colour rendition of the light and efficiency compared to traditional lighting. 

At the time of their development, these lamps were considered one of the most efficient light fixtures on the market for workshop use. But with recent innovations, these lamps' efficiency quality has sharply declined. 

However, many workshops still use these lamps as they have a low initial cost. It is important to note that even though inefficient lighting is more economical initially, it can cost you a lot of energy consumption in the long run.

Metal halide lamps also have the highest rate of light depreciation, and these lamps do not provide a wide range of options when it comes to colour temperatures. Most metal halide lamps only come with the color white; therefore, if you want something with a warmer colour temperature, you will need to look beyond this option. 

Another disadvantage of halide lamps is that they need a warm-up time before reaching their full illumination. These lamps also need a cool-down period after they are turned off and before they need to be back on again. This means that you will waste a significant portion of your energy costs. 

While metal halides are one of the most commonly used lightings in workshops, these are not very efficient and are being replaced by more innovative models. 

Fluorescent Lamps

If you are looking for an energy efficient option that is also economical, fluorescent lights are the best choice. Fluorescent workshop lighting consumes a lot less energy than metal halide lamps, and they come in a variety of colour temperatures. 

These fluorescent lamps also come in a variety of shapes and sizes to give you more flexible applications when designing your light network. 

Due to these qualities, fluorescent lights are the common choice when it comes to workshop lighting. However, these lamps come with several downsides as well. Fluorescent lamps are highly sensitive to temperature conditions, and they do not work well in extremely cold or hot areas. 

For example, in workshops that create and manufacture freezer products, the extreme temperature will decrease the fluorescent’s lifespan. A fluorescent lamp’s lifespan is also negatively affected by frequent on/off modes; therefore, these lamps are not recommended for areas that require constant switching of lighting. 

If you want to impact the environment positively, fluorescent lights are not the way to go. These lamps contain toxic mercury compounds in the tube structure that can harm human health and the environment. 

More recent models of fluorescent lamps have decreased the amount of mercury; however, these lamps are not as efficient. Fluorescent lamps are highly dependent on mercury which means it's hard to find a lamp of this type that is environmentally friendly. 

Light Emitting Diode Lamps

If you are looking for workshop lighting that is highly efficient and versatile, Light emitting diode lamps are the best choice. This LED workshop lighting uses less energy than any other light source without compromising on illumination. 

LED lamps rely more on lumen output to deliver outstanding light output that is not heavy on energy costs. LED workshop lighting has a much longer lifespan. These lamps can either be purchased as retrofits for current fixtures or complete fixtures for newer applications. 

In general, LEDs are energy efficient for multiple applications. These lamps are most commonly used in domestic and commercial areas. However, manufacturers have also created linear and strip light-style LEDs to work better in industrial and workshop settings. These specialised LEDs have a much longer lifespan and provide high-intensity brightness. 

The main reason why LEDs are so much more efficient than any other light bulb is because of their structural component. These lamps do not contain any sensitive materials such as filaments or mercury vapour to provide high-intensity brightness. 

The structure of an LED also lasts a lot longer than other lamps, as there is no risk of burnout. Most LED workshop lighting can last between 50,000 and 100,000 hours, giving them a much longer lifespan compared to other workshop lighting. 

With LED lamps, you won’t have to halt your workflow to replace lamps constantly. These bulbs don’t suffer from on/off cycles the same way metal halides or fluorescents do. 

As soon as an LED lamp is switched on, you will experience its full brightness, and there is no cool-down period required when you want to switch them back on again. LED lamps work well in colder temperatures; however, this lighting might not be suitable for higher temperatures. Despite this problem, most LED lamps can still operate at a decreased light output and lifespan in higher temperatures. 

How Do LEDs Perform Compared To Traditional Lights?

If you are more familiar with traditional modes of workshop lighting, you might not want to switch to LED workshop luminaries. However, there are several benefits you can enjoy by implementing these lamps. 

To help you decide better, here is how LED workshop lighting works compared to traditional workshop lamps. 

LED Workshop Lighting Vs. Metal Halide Lamps

Metal halide lamps are often one of the most popular choices in many workshops. These lamps were considered a standard in workshop lighting; however, due to recent light technology advancements, they are extremely inefficient. 

Many people often choose metal halide lamps because of their larger appearance. These lamps were much larger in size compared to other workshop lighting, giving the appearance of more brightness. 

Despite the larger appearance, metal halide lamps are highly inefficient when compared to LED workshop lighting. This inefficiency is also present in how they illuminate a space. 

While most metal halide lamps provide a reliable light output, they have a weak staying power. LED lamps use fewer watts to create a high-quality lumen output. In terms of lumen output comparison, LED lamps perform much better. 

Additionally, these two lighting models offer completely different technologies as methods of producing light. Metal halide lamps contain a combination of metals, including mercury, that is evaporated into an inert gas. This gas is contained in the glass casing of the metal halide structure. 

In comparison, LEDs contain a solid state semiconductor component. While both technologies produce excellent lights, LEDs use energy more efficiently and last much longer. LEDs also require less intensive maintenance over prolonged use. As mentioned earlier, metal halide lamps have a longer warm-up period compared to LEDs. 

Some lamps can take 15 minutes to turn on completely, and you also need to give these lamps a cool-down period before turning them back on again. Additionally, metal halide lamps can also increase hazardous conditions at work as these lamps have a higher risk of exploding. 

While this possibility is rare, and preventative measures reduce this risk, workshop employees can still be injured and sustain other damages. Some preventive measures include changing the lamps before their expected end lifespan. 

This includes changing the lamps as a group instead of spot changing single bulbs. This maintenance can significantly increase costs and create a sharp decline in the light's lifespan. 

To avoid such issues, it is best to switch to LED workshop lighting. In addition, metal halides are inefficient consumers of energy. These lamps need a much longer period of time to warm up and deliver your desired brightness level successfully. 

These qualities translate into costs which lead to higher utility bills. Even though some metal halide lamps cost about the same as LED lamps, the halide luminaires keep adding expenses over time based on their inefficient operation. These costs will add up significantly in large-scale applications such as workshop lighting. 

LED Workshop Lighting Vs. Fluorescent Workshop Lighting 

After metal halide luminaires, many workshops started implementing energy efficient lighting in the form of fluorescent workshop lamps. While these lamps performed much better than metal halide models, they are still not as efficient as LED workshop lighting. 

The most common form of fluorescent lighting is high bay lights. Here is how LED compares to high bay fluorescent lights. High bay fluorescent lighting was created to illuminate large indoor areas with high ceilings properly. 

Such spaces include factories, gymnasiums, and workshops. Since their locations have a larger distance between the ceiling and the floor, extremely high lumen output is required. In addition, these lights are needed to provide a concentrated light beam downwards. 

Fluorescent high bay lighting can be mounted directly to the ceiling or hung with cables and hooks. These lamps typically use a linear bulb configuration which is easy to replace when older lighting reaches the end of its lifespan. 

Some important benefits of fluorescent lamps include cheaper upfront costs and higher efficiency than halide lamps. However, these lights also come with various drawbacks. Frequently switching these lights on/off can significantly decrease their lifespan. 

Additionally, their lamps contain hazardous components such as mercury that are harmful to waste disposal. Some fluorescent lamps also require a ballast to stabilise the light system. In comparison, LED lights have all the best technology to combat high fluorescent issues. 

In terms of brightness and colour visibility, LED lights maintain better colour rendering than fluorescent high bays. These lamps also provide better colour temperatures and lumen output in terms of wattage used. With this quality, you can adjust the colour temperature according to your needs. 

LEDs have a much longer lifespan which means lower replacement costs. Even a fluorescent lamp's extended lifespan does not match an LED lamp. Light longevity is extremely important in high bay lighting as the installation and maintenance process is time-consuming. 

Even though LED lights are more expensive in terms of upfront costs, these lights pay for themselves in the long run. LED lamps consume much less energy than fluorescent lamps, so you can enjoy lower energy bills. These lights also don’t waste any energy compared to other workshop lighting.

Other Ways LED Lighting Performs Better Than Traditional Lighting

The Driver

To ensure that your LED lighting works properly, you need an excellent driver. High-quality LED electronic drivers provide cold weather resistance and can withstand any major drop in temperature. 

The driver protects the LEDs' electrical components from any hazardous situation. Most halide or fluorescent lamps do not have an efficient driver to protect against temperature drops. Without a high-quality driver, the light quality can decline rapidly. 

Directionality

Metal halide lamps are omnidirectional, which means they emit light in 360 degrees. However, most of these light beams must be redirected or reflected, which results in losses and less overall system efficiency. LED lamps emit light at 180 degrees. 

While this might seem less efficient than a halide lamp, 180 degrees provides an advantage. This is because most lighting is used to target certain objects; therefore, 360 degrees becomes wasteful.

Dimmer function

LED lamps are very easy to dim, and there are multiple options available to adjust the dimmer function of these lamps. LEDs exercise dimming by either modulating the pulse duration or lowering the forward current. 

Metal halide lamps can be dimmed through an electric magnetic ballast, but this process can significantly alter the light component. Most metal halides are less efficient when run at less than full power, and the dimming function can cause the light to expire prematurely. 

Failure components

Recognising the failure components in lighting is important as it helps you decide which lamps are worth investing in. LEDs' most significant failure component is their gradual decline in light output. However, LED lamps usually operate with multiple light emissions in a single lamp, which means the loss of two emissions does not result in the failure of the entire luminaire. 

On the other hand, metal halide lamps experience a phenomenon called cycling. This is when the lamps switch on and off without any human adjustment. Shortly after this, the lamps stop working completely. For this reason, metal halide lamps can be highly inconvenient compared to LEDs. 

Maintenance 

While most traditional lamps have a shorter lifespan leading to more replacement costs, these lamps also have a higher risk of damage which means high maintenance costs. However, you won’t run into this problem with LED workshop lighting. 

Most lamps require a replacement every six months, but LEDs eliminate this problem. Constantly replacing your bulbs can lead to several hazardous situations, as some exterior lighting can be difficult to reach. 

Therefore, LED workshop lighting is the ideal choice if you want to use one light bulb for a long time without worrying about getting it replaced.  

What Are The Different Types Of LED Workshop Light Fixtures?

There are multiple options for LED lighting design when it comes to workshop spaces. However, there are some common types of lighting that work best at illuminating these areas. 

These lights often come in non-standard configurations, such as directional and round. Here are the three common types of LED workshop lighting. 

LED High Bay Lighting

LED high bay lights are specially designed for industrial and manufacturing applications. These lights are created to illuminate large areas with high ceilings, including workshops. LED high lighting comes in multiple configurations, including linear, round, and sealed vapor tight fixtures.

Due to these structural qualities, LED high bay lights are perfect for illuminating a large workshop space. The high bay LED lights create a powerful illumination with a long-range beam to improve the focus and visibility. 

These luminaries also create a wide light distribution so you can reduce the number of fixtures needed. High bay lamps perform much better than other traditional options, such as fluorescent and halide lamps. LED high bay lights are also a great investment because they have an extremely long lifespan and improved energy efficiency. 

Workstation Lights

These luminaries are a popular choice for workshops as they help in the production process. These fixtures are usually designed in a single-bar light fixture that can be either ceiling mounted or suspended with a chain fixture. 

Workshop Strip Lighting

Strip lighting is another common lighting feature in most workshops, as they are easy to install and can illuminate large spaces. These luminaries come in various sizes and are fully customisable, so you can have better control over your lighting design. 

LED Directional Channel Retrofit

The directional channel retrofit is the best option if you want LED workshop lighting that emits light from every angle. These luminaries are the most useful when they are installed on upper sections of walls or ceilings to emit lights both at an angle and in a direction.

LED Wraparound Lighting

These surface mounted luminaires are a great choice for workshops with a low ceiling. Since these lamps are installed on a level with the ceiling surface, there is no light suspension to make your workshop seem smaller. 

This type of configuration also keeps the light out of any equipment in your workshop. Another great benefit of wraparound lighting is that it produces multidirectional light illumination, resulting in a wider spread of light. 

Additional Lighting

Even after you put fixed lighting in your workshop, you will need some supplemental lamps to help you in work production. Here are some additional luminaries that will help you in a workshop setting.

• Clamp Lights: These inexpensive and portable lamps can light any area you need. You can easily carry them to any place in a workshop that does not get enough illumination. Clamp lights are useful for detailed work and small projects.
• Task Lighting: these lamps are specifically designed to help in work-related areas. These luminaries should be placed in such a manner that they do not directly shine in your eyes. 
• Under Cabinet Lights: with these lamps, you will have direct lighting over your workstation. Under cabinet lighting has a seamless look that does not make your work area look bulky. 

Final Takeaway

Workshops need adequate lighting to reduce mistakes and increase employee safety. To make your workshop more efficient, it is important that you invest in LED workshop lighting. These luminaries are highly efficient and provide excellent illumination.