Why should a business switch from fluorescent to LED?
Fluorescent tubes are being phased out, and LED uses less energy, lasts longer and needs less looking after. For most businesses, the question is now when to switch, not whether.
Since September 2023, most common fluorescent tubes, including the T5 and T8 types used in office and warehouse fittings, can no longer be sold in Great Britain under ecodesign rules. Remaining stock is running down, so replacement tubes are getting harder to find. Planning the switch now means you choose the timing, rather than reacting when a row of lights fails and no tubes are available.
- Lower energy use
- LED often cuts lighting energy by half or more.
- Longer life
- Fewer failed lights and less time spent changing tubes.
- Instant start
- No flicker or warm-up, even in cold units.
- Better light
- Even, steady light that suits screens and close work.
How much can LED lighting save a business?
LED often cuts lighting energy by half or more compared with fluorescent, and adding sensors can save more. The real saving depends on how many hours your lights are on and what you pay for electricity.
A warehouse or shop with lights on 12 hours a day, six or seven days a week, will see a much faster payback than an office that is only lit during the working day. Less maintenance adds to the saving: fewer tubes and starters to buy, and less time up ladders.
When we price the job, we can note the number of fittings and their wattage before and after. That gives you the figures to work out the payback for your own hours and tariff. We won't guess at a payback period without knowing how you use the building.
Should I replace the fittings or just fit LED tubes?
In most cases, replacing the whole fitting with an LED panel or batten is the better choice. Retrofit LED tubes can work, but only with the right tube type and the correct changes inside the fitting.
New fittings also let us check the wiring at each lighting point as we go. Old fluorescent fittings often hide cable that has gone brittle from years of heat near the ballast, and we flag anything like that before it causes a problem.
- New LED panels or battens
- Preferred. New fitting, new warranty, best efficiency and no old parts left.
- Retrofit LED tubes
- Possible in good fittings, using the correct tube type and ballast bypass.
- High-bay LED
- For warehouses and workshops with high ceilings.
Are retrofit LED tubes safe?
They can be, if the tube is the right type for the fitting and the fitting is modified correctly. Some LED tubes are made to work with the existing ballast (the part that controls a fluorescent tube). Others need the ballast bypassing so mains power goes straight to the tube.
If a ballast-bypass fitting later has a fluorescent tube put back in, or the wrong LED tube is fitted, it can be unsafe. Fittings that have been converted should be clearly labelled. Older fittings are often near the end of their life anyway, with brittle wiring and yellowed diffusers. That is why we usually recommend new LED fittings. Where retrofit tubes make sense, we tell you, and we do the conversion properly and label it.
What happens to emergency lighting when you switch to LED?
Emergency lighting must still work and still meet BS 5266 after the conversion. Emergency fittings need converting with particular care, because a mistake can leave an escape route dark when the power fails.
Many emergency fittings are standard fittings with a battery pack inside. We replace them with LED emergency fittings, or with LED fittings that have suitable emergency packs, so escape routes stay covered. After the work, we test them so you know they come on when the power goes off.
Emergency lights also need regular testing by the business: a short functional test every month and a full-duration test once a year, with the results recorded. We can carry out the annual test as part of planned maintenance if that helps.
Can LED lighting be fitted without closing my business?
Yes. We can work evenings or weekends within our hours of 8am to 8pm, or convert one area at a time so the rest of the building keeps running.
Offices are often done a floor or a zone at a time. Shops can be done before opening or after closing. Warehouses and workshops on estates such as Meridian Business Park, Braunstone Frith, Beaumont Leys or Thurmaston can often be done in sections, so there is always lit space to work in. We agree the plan and the fixed price before we start, so you know exactly what is happening and when.
How bright should office and workshop lighting be?
Offices typically need around 300 to 500 lux at desk level, measured in lux, the amount of light falling on a surface. Workshops doing detailed work may need more, while stores and corridors need less.
Swapping fittings one for one doesn't always give the right result. LED panels can be brighter than the tubes they replace, so a room can end up harsh, or too dim if the layout was poor to start with. We look at how each area is used and suggest the right fittings and layout. Adding lighting controls can also help.
- Occupancy sensors (PIR)
- Lights switch off when nobody is in the room.
- Daylight dimming
- Lights dim when there is enough daylight from windows.