A Short Discussion on Task Lighting: How Businesses Can Save with the Right Light

Furnishing a space for better ergonomics, new space or old office, is exciting. You'll have your pick of standing desks, motion boards, monitor arms, and desk-centric accessories to help you stay comfortable while you work. But if you're outfitting your cubicle, C-suite, or flexible office and forgetting about lighting, you could be missing the final piece of the ergonomic puzzle to keep all parts of you happy and healthy throughout the day.

Not all lighting is the same, and the current foot-candles (the unit of measurement for tasking lighting) can vary greatly from ambient lighting to task lighting to background lighting. You'll need a healthy mix of all three types of lighting to help your eyes stay free of strain and pain. One of the easiest ways to brighten your work area and give your peepers the rays they need to see is with a task light, which provides directional light where it's needed.

Ambient + Natural + Task = The Lighting Trifecta

Scientists and CPEs (Certified Professional Ergonomists) are quickly learning the importance of including natural lighting in places of work because it boosts psychological well-being. Even though this type of light has positive health benefits, it should not be used alone to enlighten an office. Just look out the window at the setting sun in the evening. Offices need lights.

That's why you need a combination of background, natural, and task lighting to ensure you have the right amount of light for all times of the day, and for all types of tasks and eyes. What do we mean by that?

Our eyes do not all adjust the same way, meaning that even in the same lighting conditions, one person may have no trouble seeing while the other person can't read without squinting. And as we age, our eyes worsen, too. Under the same lighting conditions, people in their twenties are working with eyesight that’s up to eight times better than people in their sixties.1 This is why it's a good idea to use task lighting as a supplemental tool to help older viewers, and anyone who wants to protect their eyes, see better.

Task Lighting Is Cost-Effective for Businesses

When it comes to choosing your lighting, most businesses have to consider cost. Even though it might seem cost-effective to depend on the current lighting options in your space, don't forget the hidden costs of not having the right type of light.

Task lighting reduces expensive lighting costs due to the fact that most modern task lights work with LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, which last longer than incandescents and fluorescents. LEDs are able to supplement light while needing less power, not to mention the energy it saves over time. In fact, LEDs use 75 percent less energy and last 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs.2

Bonus cost savings: Did you know that task lighting reduces cooling costs for most businesses? This is because task lights give off a fraction of the heat of incandescent overhead lighting, while simultaneously letting you direct your light right where you need it.

Freedom to Adjust...Your Lighting

If you're a fan of ergonomics, you're likely very into a product's adjustability features. It makes sense to be able to adjust your lighting throughout the day as your needs change. Give yourself freedom to fine-tune your lighting to your liking. It will help you maintain productivity throughout the workday with less eye strain.

We love task lights because and lamps are more customizable to each user, letting each employee tailor their lighting. Because in ergonomics, control is the name of the game. Each person is different, doesn't it makes sense to let each adapt their light to their eyes, the room, and the task? We think so.

A Light for Every Space and Occasion

Human Solution is on the forefront of ergonomic lighting, sourcing only the most efficient to make the cut. From the Illuminate to the E7, we have a task light to help you see (and work) better.

When you're working with glare-free, flicker-free task lighting, like the E7 LED Desk Lamp with Clamp by UPLIFT Desk, you'll probably notice a difference right away ;when it comes to eye comfort. Or enjoy directional lighting wherever you need it in the moment with the full-sized E7 LED Floor Lamp, which will be able to provide you the same adjustable lighting as the other E7, it just comes with a heavy floor base that adapts the light to a standing task light that reaches from floor to about forehead height. The Illuminate LED Task Light is another task lighting option to get you apt lighting in your area. It's simple, minimalist, and gets the job done when you want focused lighting on your desktop.

Whatever task light you choose, make sure it's the one that fits your space and provides the right kind of light that keeps your eyes happy, your mind focused, and your day productive.

Sources

1UCLA Environment, Health, and Safety. "Aging in the Workforce," News and Notes, Spring 2012, p. 1.

2U.S. Department of Energy. "LED Lighting." "http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/led-lighting" (accessed December 2012).