Discover Why LED Lighting for Schools Is One of the Best Long-Term Investments

It probably comes as no surprise to you that lights used in schools have a wide-reaching effect on the life cycle of the building, the mood and performance of students, and making life easier (or harder) for everyone. LED lighting for schools offers several key long-term advantages: energy and maintenance savings, increased safety, and an optimized learning environment.

K–12 school districts in the US spend about $8 billion on energy each year. Between indoor air quality, temperature and humidity control, new classroom technologies, and lighting, it might seem like energy usage can only trend one direction–up. This is especially challenging in districts experiencing high growth. However, LEDs are a one-time investment that keep saving money long after the initial retrofit or installation. 

LED light fixtures represent one of the biggest opportunities to reduce costs on school grounds year over year. In particular, school gymnasiums are almost always inefficiently lit. If you’re relying on fluorescent or metal halide lights, you probably have to deal with flickering, warm-up times (for HID lights), and additional burden on the HVAC system, due to the lights heating. With high ceilings, gymnasium lights are more time-consuming to replace. Because LEDs are more durable and have a longer lifespan than other lights, you’ll greatly reduce the time you spend replacing them as a result of burnout or direct hits from balls. 

At one point in time, lights were either on or off. It was all or nothing. Saving energy costs meant asking already hard-working teachers (or even students) to remember to turn off the lights when they leave. This increases stress and leads to wasted energy when people forget. 

Occupancy and motion sensors make it possible to limit light usage to occupied rooms, which when applied broadly will have a ripple effect across the district. Ensuring that each facility has efficient, effective lighting not only saves energy costs, but also increases the lifecycle value of the property, making this a decision that will benefit students and stakeholders for years to come. 

Learn how this Texas school district reduced its energy costs by $444,134 and reduced its carbon emissions by more than 7 million pounds.

Schools can only be effective when everyone feels safe. Generally, enhancing security with lighting involves making sure the exterior parts of the building are well lit. The parking lots are an important place to consider, as are the bus drop off and boarding areas. After that, it’s often a matter of making sure paths are evenly illuminated and playgrounds and athletic fields are well lit and using wall packs on the building exterior. 

Using photocells in your parking lot is an excellent choice to ensure welcoming, bright light that turns on and off based on how dark it’s getting. 

Lighting sets the tone for the classroom. The brightness level and color temperature that support your learning objectives can make a big difference, even though the students won’t necessarily notice it. A warm, inviting atmosphere will help students in activities like reading or study hall. Being able to switch the color temperature to a cooler white will help facilitate alertness for science classes. Being able to dim the light means being able to adapt the lighting to the time of day, computer activity, and other factors. It gives teachers more control over the classroom environment. 

Not only that, LED classroom lights eliminate flickering, buzzing, and humming. These sounds can be distracting to anyone, but create significant hardships for students with sensory issues or other learning challenges. Plus, teachers won’t have to stop teaching to request repairs or replacements as often. 

Schools have a lot to juggle in order to provide quality education and satisfy parents and the community. It isn’t easy to ensure every child is safe and nurtured, while keeping the budget in check.

Contact our team to get personalized product recommendations and learn how to make your lighting work for you and your students. Call today at 866-590-3533.