To task light or not to task light?

In most of our tip-posts we have suggested the use of task lighting: an extra luminaire positioned on a desk for enhancing light levels on what is called “the working plane” in  lighting regulations.

In the home office spaces, that may seem an obvious decision both in terms of flexibility of lighting – one can have the light where and when needed – and also to add a certain interest to the overall ambient, as the desk light can be a nice eye-catcher.

But how about the corporate office environment? There are different views on how the lighting should be made within the office environment. In this post, we won’t be extending to all of the aspects of office lighting, but rather concentrate on the task lighting issue.

Firstly, the decision to incorporate task lights or not must come from the design intent. Designers will decide on whether the general lighting should provide all of the 500lx required (the questions about whether 500lx is enough will be discussed in another post). It could be done only via direct lighting from the ceiling (image 1 below), or by a pendant luminaire providing direct and indirect lighting. For that, both direct and indirect lights could be switched/dimmed separately (image 2 below). That option already provides some flexibility. The next step would be to keep the general lighting covering 300lx as base light level and an extra 200lx needed for each desk could come from the task lights (image 3).

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That decision will influence the way the electrical installation is planned. Apart from that, the positioning of the luminaires in the space could also be influenced by the decision of integrating task lighting or not.

Another question which is relevant is the use of integrated LEDs or an LED light bulb within the task light. There are a few issues associated with an integrated LED solution. Once the luminaire is broken (in a few year’s time), the whole luminaire needs to be replaced, unless the manufacturer claims to be able to exchange only the LED “head”. Even then, the luminaire would probably need to travel to the manufacturer’s facilities and back to the office to be used again (#carbonfootprint). If an LED bulb is used, the problem of replacing damaged equipment is solved by just changing the bulb (as was the case with former incandescent lamps). But it could be an issue if the bulbs decide to “run away” (!!) as they are not fixed to the luminaire. That may sound absurd, but it was a real concern from a Client…

Talking about carbon foot print, if the office is a large one, then the designers will need to ensure the lights (including the task lights) are switched off once the last employee leaves the office. Not complicated to do, a master switch for the plugs where the task lights are connected to would do.

Including another lighting layer for the task lights in the design has its advantages. Here’s a quick overview:

• Task lights can reduce energy consumption, as lighting is tailored to user needs.
• Less general lighting is required, so the equipment can also be reduced.
• Higher user satisfaction, as people have more control of personal environment. That’s also related to higher productivity – the happier, the more productive.

Associated with the design incorporating task lighting, there might be issues which will need to be carefully planned:

• Higher CAPEX, as more equipment will be installed.
• Probable higher maintenance costs, as more equipment might need care (OPEX). A careful study should be made in order to correctly assess the running costs, as energy-saving might cover for extra maintenance costs.
• Planning of lighting and electrical installations in order to accommodate dimming of the general lighting and plugs and general off switch for the task lights.

If all issues have been weighted and the decision to proceed with the use of task lights is made, then there are a few tips on choosing the best performing equipment:

• Position of luminaires – fixed on table rather than lose on top. This will save space and facilitate use.
• Flexibility and manoeuvrability of the luminaire – the chosen fixtures should be movable in 2 directions (minimum requirement), better if it can move in 3 directions (as in the example below).

We hope this post can help you decide to incorporate task lighting in your corporate space. Need some help?  Let us know.

See you in the next post.

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