Perfecting home office lighting
When it comes to working from home, office lighting is key to performance and well-being. However, not everyone takes their illumination options seriously and people often end up using whatever lights they already have around the house. Unfortunately, this can have a negative impact on productivity.
In this article we will talk about...
- Why is the light in workspaces important?
- Illuminating your home office
- The right luminaire
- Secom products
Why is the light in workspaces important?
It is easy to overlook the importance of home office lighting, even if you are aware that low-quality and poorly-positioned devices can cause eye fatigue. In fact, they can even cause headaches and mood swings.
A combination of ambient and functional lighting is the best way forward. Desk or standard lamps are a good option for shedding light onto desks while other sources of light do the job of achieving balance and avoiding shadows and glare.
Top-quality results
Good home office lighting encourages a steady rhythm and boosts motivation. A cosy environment combined with sufficient light can help you get jobs done.
Health considerations
Suitable home office lighting boosts good health. It helps you to keep your eyesight and posture in check, avoid eye fatigue and prevent symptoms such as headaches and itchy eyes.
The circadian clock
Quality office lighting projects should take the circadian clock into account. It is a question of combining artificial and natural light in a way that mimics daylight.
Comfort
Having the right type of light when you are working from home is good for visual comfort. It can help you to stay alert and concentrate, and it diminishes stress and fatigue.
Illuminating your home office
The following are just a few handy tips for making sure you have the right kind of light in your home office.
Colour temperature
Luminaires should be somewhere between 3300 and 5300 K on the colour temperature index that goes from neutral through to cold. Cold tones are best for aiding concentration.
The CRI or colour rendering index
The recommended CRI for faithful representation of the colours in a room is above 90.
Light intensity
The intensity of the light in your home office should be at least 100 lux, but ideally somewhere between 300 and 500 lux. Some companies provide light meters to help with this.
Making use of natural light
If possible, rooms should be lit with natural light. However, this is not always an option and, when the sun goes down, we have no choice but to rely on artificial light. People often continue working long beyond daylight hours and, even when there is natural light, best results can sometimes only be achieved through a careful combination of artificial and natural light. Computers should be positioned at a 90º angle away from sources of natural light.
The right luminaire
There are many different luminaires for home offices. The main ones include:
Surface lights
Surface lights are ideal for illuminating large spaces. These luminaires are easy to install and are fitted onto ceilings.
Wall lights
Wall lights can help improve the overall lighting in a room.
Suspended lights
Suspended lights are perfect for extra brightness.
LED strip lights
LED strip lights can easily be fitted around desks to boost visibility and avoid dark spots.
Desktop and standard lamps
Lamps can increase the amount of light in certain areas and aid vision.
Whatever the selected model, it is important to avoid direct glare from ceiling lights. Quality ambient light is preferable. Lamp diffusers soften harsh light, while upward-facing standard lamps bounce the light off walls and ceilings. The idea is to create good levels of light throughout the room with no reflections or harsh contrasts and shadows. Spotlights, desk lights and lamps positioned over workspaces can all help to create the desired effect.
Secom products
When it comes to home offices, Secom has everything you need. For example:
Aliket
This continuous line light can cover up to 40 metres with just one power source.
Allur
This is an indoor suspended light fitted with the very latest LED technology. It is ideal for retail and domestic use.
Aircom circular
This is a recessed, interior luminaire for homes and commercial premises that functions using LED technology.
LED panels
These devices can be fitted as recessed lights in suspended ceilings.
Office lighting comes in all shapes and sizes, which means you need to plan and choose exactly the right solutions for your home office. Quality installations always give the best results when it comes to return on investment, productivity, good health and well-being.
