It is said frequently that first impressions count. Clean modern offices impress clients. Attentive staff help customer retention. And a welcoming atmosphere does wonders for commercial premises.
Light is important in creating such an atmosphere. Natural light brings freshness to rooms and creates good energy. However, sunlight is only available for a certain amount of hours a day.
Outdoor lighting is essential for creating the same impressions once the sun goes down. For a commercial business, exterior lighting may be needed for nighttime operations, or it may be for enhanced curb appeal.
What Does Outdoor Lighting Bring to Businesses?
Outdoor lighting helps to illuminate certain areas of homes and businesses. It may be used to highlight entrances or to light up landscaped gardens. Indeed, a common use of outdoor lighting in homes is for landscape illumination.
Typically, companies like Seattle Washington Outdoor Landscape Lighting help homeowners light up their backyards at night, and create functional spaces to be enjoyed in the evenings.
Yet, outdoor lighting brings many benefits to businesses too. Commercial spaces need lighting so that they can operate, and keep employees safe. Below, you can see 8 different business gains from professional outdoor lighting.
1 Create a Welcoming Atmosphere
Businesses need to be inviting places, especially customer-facing operations. Lighting creates an environment that feels safe and welcoming when done properly. This is why professional lighting experts are often used by businesses.
To create an enticing atmosphere, lights must be used in such a way as to create warmth and ambiance. Cold, sterile lights will attract no one.
Outdoor lighting positioned along paths and entrances will create a safe, and well-lit invitation for customers, and staff.
2 Gardens and Entrance Area
As well as illuminating the entrance to create a welcoming atmosphere, outdoor lighting can be used in the general front of a business.
Some businesses such as offices will have garden areas and landscaping to improve curb appeal. This can be further enhanced through outdoor landscape lighting. Leading to enhanced brand visibility.
While your business may not be directly impacted by this use of outdoor lighting, it will help to create a better impression on visitors and passersby.
3 Enhanced Brand Visibility
Outdoor lighting can be used in many ways to enhance brands. Signage can be lit up at night, and buildings uplit. Creating brand awareness is vital for startups and small businesses. But, it can be costly.
Outdoor lighting can be used to boost a brand’s visibility locally without spending a small fortune. Though some care and consideration need to be taken. Just recently, Elon Musk found out that his new X logo signage wasn’t to everyone’s taste. After dozens of neighbors complained about light pollution, the giant illuminated X was removed.
As well as brand visibility, outdoor lighting also just makes it easier for your premises to be located at night.
4 Increased Security and Safety
Somewhat of a no-brainer, but no less important is lighting for security. Adding landscape lighting and other forms of exterior lights will increase security.
Brightly lit spaces are the opposite of what criminals generally want. And your staff will feel safer coming and going after dark. This is especially important for businesses that operate around the clock.
As well as lighting up exits and car parks, outdoor lights will also illuminate hazards and tripping hazards.
5 Increased Functionality of Outdoor Spaces
Homeowners make use of outdoor lighting so that they can extend the use of gardens and backyards. Lighting up patios means the time outside can be extended. Something that is desirable on warm summer evenings.
Businesses can make several gains here too. For offices, shared outdoor spaces can be used in the evening. This allows shift workers to get fresh air during break times. In fact, providing outdoor areas will improve the health of workers who go outside on their breaks.
Corporate leisure areas can be used for activities in the evening also which lends itself to team building. Social activities within teams may also increase.
Hotels can make more use of outdoor pools or recreation areas with exterior lighting. Gardens may be lit up and used by guests for evening walks and relaxation. And restaurants can allow diners to take their evening meals alfresco.
6 Increased Opening Times
Night-time operations such as pubs and takeaways can utilize outdoor space by lighting them up. Pub garden use can extend until closing time with clever use of landscape lighting.
All manner of outdoor spaces can be utilized by businesses to increase capacity or allow staff areas for leisure activity. Rooftop gardens, terraces, and patios can be used later by lighting them up.
With increased opening times comes potentially higher sales and profits. Customers who were previously unable to use your business due to closing hours may now be attracted.
7 Make a Statement
The Empire State Building at night is a serious New York landmark. It is lit up every night for great aesthetic effect and can be seen for miles.
While lighting increases brand visibility in a practical way, it can also turn your premises into something of a local landmark. Vintage neon lighting or clever use of spotlights on your building will make a serious visual statement.
Alternatively, use colored uplights to drench the building’s facade in a wave of different hues. Gradients and slowly changing color tones can be made through smart outdoor lights.
8 Useful for Special Events
Lighting plays a pivotal role in certain events such as product launches. Imagine holding a corporate event at your headquarters with professional lighting in place recreating the feel of Oscar night.
Award nights and events to recognize employee achievements can be boosted by outdoor lighting. As your employees and their guests arrive, they will be wowed by professional outdoor lighting that creates ambiance and visual allure.
As a side bonus, installing outdoor lighting will help your business mitigate risks. You are legally obliged to provide a safe workplace for your employees and customers. Professional outdoor lighting helps to keep businesses free from potential legal problems.
How to Keep the Costs Down
According to the Department of Ecology in Washington State, millions of lightbulbs are disposed of each year in the States. To be reasonably precise, 680 million lights are thrown away each year. This hazardous waste needs to be disposed of properly, or preferably reduced.
Lighting up your business will make it look visually appealing, improve safety, and may even increase brand visibility. But, at a point in time when people are looking at the environment, care should be taken.
Professional lighting installers will recommend energy-saving lights such as LEDs today. One benefit is that your business will cut its energy costs regarding outdoor lighting. And another is your company will be proactively doing something to become greener.
LED lighting is a better choice environment-wise compared to any traditional type of light bulb.
Summary
Just as homeowners enjoy their outdoor spaces longer into the night when they are lit up, business owners can benefit too. Exterior outdoor lighting can be used to illuminate landscaping features and enhance a building’s curb appeal.
And outdoor lighting helps reduce liability risks and creates a safe, welcoming environment. Ambiance can be created for company events, and workers may benefit from functional outdoor spaces during breaks.
