Opportunity
There’s increasing demand for tunable lighting as people warm to the idea of using commercial lighting as a tool to improve productivity and well-being, especially in health care and education settings.
If you’re not already getting requests from customers for tunable lighting, you will. That’s because tunable lighting, which can be programmed to mimic the color temperature and brightness levels of the sun throughout the day, are based on what’s best for the human body and employee productivity.
Challenge
Tunable lighting works optimally when it is fully automated, as it subtly and gradually changes the intensity and color of the light as the sun would as it rises and sets.
However, that automation is expensive, so clients may shy away from it, figuring they can just control it manually and adjust it throughout the day. And unfortunately, when that happens, the benefits are nowhere near as pronounced.
Recommendations
While studies have shown the powerful effects of light on the human brain (the International WELL Building Institute has a helpful section on lighting that provides an excellent summary of the science on this), the client may be leery of investing in a proper tunable lighting system.
That’s why it’s so important for customers to understand that lighting options that only offer manual adjustment, while cheaper, will not give them the full benefits of the technology. In this situation, it’s best to make certain you can clearly explain the science and benefits underpinning tunable lighting.
Once you’ve taken the time to understand the owner’s pain points and clearly explained the benefits and costs, they may decide that a simpler option is a better fit for their goals and budget.
That said, keep an eye on this technology. LED manufacturers are watching this trend and as the technology becomes more in demand, pressure will increase to reduce prices.
