03 Oct Commercial Lighting Trends in 2016

Lighting has come a long way in recent years. Lately, as the focus on energy-efficient solutions for home and business illumination has grown more significant, increasingly impressive trends are emerging within the light industry.

Following are just some of the most innovative lighting trends we’ve seen in 2016.

• Wireless Connectivity

Thanks to the mainstream use of LED in various structures, it’s now possible to control your lights in a range of different ways. Today, you can purchase smart bulbs that you can turn on and off simply by tapping the screen on your smartphone. You can even use applications to change the colour that your bulb displays while it shines. Smart bulbs and wireless connectivity isn’t just an exciting option for technology-enthusiastic buyers, however – they also represent a great security feature. Businesses can control their lighting however they want – from making lights brighter and warmer towards the end of the day, to changing colours during special presentations.

• Colour Tuning

As LED lighting and controls become increasingly advanced, the next frontier is in colour tuning. In previous years, incandescent lighting has been regarded as inefficient, but it helps to offer a warmth and colour that made people feel comfortable. On the other hand, LED lighting was traditionally associated with more monotone effects. Now, LED bulbs can be adjusted to offer the perfect colour temperature for any application. In fact, many new technologies offer dynamic colour changing to mimic daylight, white colour tuning to offer a specific room “temperature”, and more.

• Healthy Lighting

What if light could change how you feel? Scientists are discovering that light can influence our emotions and the way that we behave. For instance, the right colour of lighting in an office might dictate how productive or creative we are at work, or how quickly we recover from illness. There are hospitals in Denmark that currently use lighting therapy, combined with sound to help mothers feel more relaxed during maternity procedures. The commercial applications here are endless

• High-Quality Materials

Finally, great lighting is no longer just about having the right level of radiance in a room – it’s also about performance and durability. For instance, Shuji Nakamura (a Nobel Prize winner), recently introduced a gallium nitride violet LED, that renders colour more effectively, while ensuring great longevity and efficiency. Energy efficiency and performance is more important than ever these days. It makes sense that technology developers would be looking for ways to make their bulbs more effective and efficient than ever.