Retail Environments - May/June 2015

Add bells and whistles when possible such as fancy decorative groupings for marking cash desks or interactive LED walls for visual interest, she suggests. Specific lighting strategies depend on the type of merchandise, the type of retailer, and local codes.

Code-driven trends

Both Israel and Forbes-Gray say that energy codes and energy efficiency influence lighting trends today. The California Energy Commission updated its Title 24 Energy Efficiency Standards. Effective in January 2014, the revisions introduced requirements for adaptive lighting—lighting that automatically dims or shuts off when it’s not needed. Once optional, adaptive lighting is now required for both interiors and exteriors and even in parking garages within the state.

“Codes are making people adopt more
efficient sources of light quicker than they
would normally,” says Israel. “They demand
energy reduction through dimming of
lights in California now, and it will migrate
to the rest of the country.”
Because retailers will be required to have
dimmable light sources (in California for
now), they won’t be able to use the ceramic
metal halides favored in retail in the past—
those aren’t dimmable. LEDs meet that
need and are attractive financially and
last longer, he says.

Code-mandated reductions in power density allowances also have driven lighting advancements, especially in LEDs, says Forbes-Gray. She cites LEDs’ improvements over previous technologies such as HIDs and fluorescents: efficiency, improved color rendering, more accurate lamp-to-lamp consistency, and the ability to control and tune the color temperature of light sources.

Ron Harwood, CEO and creative director at Illuminating Concepts in Farmington Hills, Mich., says LEDs can be used in unique and creative ways to light stores, creating a competitive edge and boosting sales.

“Not only is the creative
use of light affecting point
of sale, it’s also great for
moving customers around a
store,” says Harwood. “Our
natural instincts are to go
towards the light, and what-
ever is illuminated attracts
our attention.”
Harvesting some of that light from the
sun also saves money.

Daylighting limitations

Energy management can have a down side, says Harwood. Daylight can take the focus off your merchandise. It doesn’t always come in the right intensity, in the correct place, or when you want it.

Some ambient light from nature works, but don’t depend on it, Harwood says. If you do, then you’re assuming a warm sunrise, a sunny glow during the day, and a blue-white radiance going from daylight to night, every day. Nature may not cooperate.