As sure as night follows day, an effective lighting solution is essential to maximizing your facility’s use. Often, very little planning is put into lighting a new building or its surrounding outdoor areas. This is true whether you are building a house, shed, garage, or carport.
The lighting configuration and layout is usually an after thought, which results in a lost opportunity to get the best “after dark” functionality and use-ability from your inve$tment. Have you ever said “ If only I had some decent lighting here I could…
With a small investment in time, spent thinking through how you will use your building, you can create a markedly better result.
Ultralux High Bay Lamp
• What do I intend to do inside the shed?
• Will I be operating outside the shed at night?
• Have I considered the short days of Winter and running out of daylight?
• What kind of lighting do I need?
• How many lights do I need?
• What kind of lights should I buy?
• Where should the lights be mounted and at what height?
• Where should the light switches be located?
• Do I need 2 way switching?
• What about motion sensors?
Look at some of the Lights we have available through the ShedBlog here.
There is a myriad of different types of light fittings and globes to choose from. All of which will perform differently and give you ranging results depending on the build quality of the equipment, the layout and installation and the suitability of the selected equipment for your application.
Some of the variables to be considered are:-
What colour light do I need for my application?
Warm light is produced by a lower colour temperature light source and accentuates yellow tones, wood colours etc to create a soft warm ambiance. Whereas a higher colour temperature Cool light will produce a brighter light with a more stark or even clinical feel.
What light level do I need for my building (inside / outside) ?
Light levels are measured in Lux. The light level you need will depend on the type of activities you will be carrying out. There are a large number of Australian Standards detailing the required light levels for various tasks and processes. They may or may not be specifically applicable to you for your shed, dependant whether you a running a commercial
enterprise or private activity. However, they do serve as a good guideline to assist in selecting the right lighting solution for your shed, garage or factory.
You also have to be mindful of “spill light”… light which spills from your shed or carport onto neighbouring properties. This is the subject of a stand alone standard in which Local Council takes particular interest. You would normally have to ensure compliance with this for any new building requiring a Development Application (DA).
If you are operating a commercial operation with employees, you are obliged to meet the required standards. In this day of litigation, you are even at risk of suit by family and friends who have an accident on your property if they prove a case that the lighting levels were insufficient. The reality is, the lighting will need to provide sufficient light to see effectively and to perform tasks safely. Have a look at some of the Lights we have available through the ShedBlog here.
How accurately do I need colours to be represented?
If you a printing, working with photos, graphics arts or brushing a new “Rembrandt” you may need a light source with superior colour rending capability. Many Sheds and garages today accomodate Businesses so best lighting practices are needed.
Do I need additional task lighting?
If you have a work bench, desk or use fixed position machine tools such as a bench grinder, drill press, sewing machine, overlocker, lathe, or drop saw, you may get great benefit from installing specific task lighting in addition to the overhead area lights.
I want “energy efficiency”, everyone is talking about it….. but how do I really achieve it AND still have enough light to see what I’m doing? Energy efficiency and LED lighting are the lighting “buzz” words of the current time. LED (light emitting diode) lighting can be an effective alternative to other conventional lighting solutions, however you can run into problems with using the wrong type of LED lighting for an application. You may well save power BUT you may not have a satisfactory lighting solution. Energy Efficient does not always equal Effective. New Sheds are a perfect opportunity to install modern efficient lighting saving money in the longer term.
And So, what does this all mean?
In a nutshell, with a little time spent, in advance, and some experienced guidance you can achieve an effective lighting solution for your new shed, garage, workshop or facility which is both energy and cost efficient and also delivers the light you need to get the job done safely. Look at some of the Lights we have available through the ShedBlog here.
Good Lighting Solutions are a blend of Art and Science!
By incorporating intelligent technical selection criteria and a creative lighting configuration, you can achieve lighting which both looks and feels right.
“Don’t be left in the Dark”
Check out the multitude of High Bay LED lights available on Amazon.
