Office Lighting

What do we mean by office lighting?

At Any-Lamp, we specifically focus on office lighting for workplaces in an office building. This includes areas where people work behind a desk or workbench as well as meeting and/or consultation rooms. This is due to the specific lighting requirements in such areas.

What do you need to consider when buying office lighting?

If you are about to buy office lighting, you should take into account the EN-EN 12464-1 standard. These are regulations for working environments, issued by the European Union. These standards must be met in every workplace:

• The illuminance / light output (lux or lm/m²).

• The glare factor (UGR).

• The colour rendering (CRI).

What light output should office lighting have?

The light output in offices must never be lower than 500 lumens per square metre; this is equivalent to 500 lux. Here we are only referring to the standard workplaces and meeting rooms that are present in an office. If detailed tasks, such as technical drawing work, are also carried out in an office space, then a light strength of 750 lux is recommended. Other types of room in an office building, such as canteens and corridors, generally require a lower Lux level. You can find out more about this in the table which is placed a few paragraphs below.

With office lighting, the light must be distributed evenly throughout the room. You should avoid dark corners where the light output does not match the rest of the surroundings. After all, everyone should have enough light to be able to carry out their work properly. LED luminaires that emit their light diffusely and in all directions (indirect lighting) are a good solution for this. These light sources provide general lighting in a room. Luminaires for accent lighting (direct lighting) can be used to add more light to certain areas or to highlight objects.

What should you keep in mind about glare (UGR)?

Office lighting should have a value of UGR<19. This means that employees can work unhindered throughout the day without experiencing complaints such as headaches or glare. In rooms where one does not have to work with concentration, for example canteens and halls, other UGR values are applicable. More detailed information can be found in the table below.

What colour rendering (CRI) is required for office lighting?

The colour rendering of workplaces, including offices, must have a minimum value of 80Ra. If you use LED office lighting, this requirement is met by default. If you have not yet switched to LED, it is possible that you are dealing with a lower colour rendering. 80-89Ra stands for good colour rendering. However, it is also possible to choose a colour rendering of 90-99Ra; a perfect CRI. In this case, no colour difference can be observed between colours under the light of the bulb and the same colours in natural daylight. 

Good to know! A perfect CRI is particularly useful for workplaces where colours contribute to the consumer's buying behaviour, but also in working environments where colours give an impression of an end result. In office lighting, this is therefore not required!

What light colour should be used in offices?

In principle, office luminaires should always have cool white (4000K) or daylight white (6500K) light colours. This is because these colour temperatures have high blue values, which wake up the body and promote concentration. However, a more precise distinction can be made You can illuminate 'standard' office environments with cool white light (4000K). However, if you do demanding detailed work in your office building, such as technical drawings, you should opt for daylight white light (6500K). This colour temperature corresponds to natural daylight and therefore offers the best conditions for such tasks.

Other areas in an office building, such as canteens and corridors, can be provided with a warmer light colour (2700K or 3000K). This depends on the amount of natural daylight present in a room. If there are many windows, 2700K will be sufficient. If there are few windows, it is better to choose 3000K. These light colours create a relaxed atmosphere.

Is it possible to use smart office lighting?

Yes it is! Smart lighting for offices can be recognised by the indication 'DALI'. LED luminaires that are equipped with the DALI system can be grouped together, after which you can make use of an automatic on/off switch. This means that the office lighting only comes on when movement is detected. In addition, the light sources can be uniformly dimmed, allowing you to adjust the light intensity to the activity taking place in a room. You can find more information about DALI in the blog 'Why should I choose DALI luminaires? 

Would you prefer to buy DALI luminaires for your office straight away? At Any-Lamp, you will find various LED panels and LED downlights with this DALI system. These include A-brands such as Noxion, Philips and LEDvance.

I have fluorescent tubes in my office building. Can I replace them with LED?

Fluorescent tubes were often used for office lighting in the past, but they do not always have a colour rendering that meets the NEN-EN standard. However, you can easily replace this conventional lighting with LED tubes. You do not need to purchase a new fixture for this. You only need to replace the old fluorescent tubes with an LED variant. Check beforehand whether your fluorescent lighting works with a conventional ballast (EM) or an electronic ballast (HF). 

Tip: Can you not find which ballast your fluorescent fixture has? If your fluorescent tubes flicker when the lights are switched on, you are dealing with a conventional ballast. In this case you need LED tubes with the indication 'EM'. If your fluorescent tubes do not flicker, you should use LED tubes that work with an "HF" ballast. You can also choose LED tubes with 'UN'. These can be used for both ballasts.

Are your fluorescent tubes installed in a system ceiling? In this case, you can also remove your fluorescent tubes from the ceiling and replace them with an LED panel of the same dimensions.