Similar to the other industries in our lighting application series, those in the financial services can utilize lighting to improve their business on multiple fronts, including enhancing customer experience, growing productivity, and saving money and energy. The payoffs that come from using energy efficient luminaires in a strategic layout are significant and something even the savviest financial minds can get behind. Keep reading to get some tips on how you can have intelligent financial services lighting and how LEDs can provide a welcome boost to your bottom line.

Use Smart Financial Services Lighting to Make an Impact on Customers and Employees

Lights make an impression in every area of your bank and, instead of being chosen as an afterthought, should be selected carefully based on how they influence your customers and team members. You can make your building work smarter by using strategic lighting in these areas:

• Signs – Use bright, fully-lit signs to give your brand a professional appearance and to attract customers. We’ve mentioned it before in this series, but we’ll say it again: avoid partially lit or flickering signs at all costs. Such signs send the impression that your business doesn’t pay attention to details and makes people feel less confident about your brand.
• Outdoors – Keep your parking lots safe with vivid, adequately spaced lights throughout the property. Also, make sure canopies and ATMs are brightly illuminated, so customers feel secure using them.
• Teller and Lobby Areas – Use natural-looking ambient lights to make your lobby and teller counters feel welcoming and cheerful. You can also install accent lights to draw people’s attention to important areas and to help them navigate the room.
• Conference Rooms – Adjustable lighting works well in conference areas, since these rooms often serve many purposes. Having dimmable bulbs makes it possible to conduct multimedia presentations, meet with clients, and everything else in between.
• Private offices – In general, employees are happier and more productive when they can work in natural, adjustable lighting that’s free from glares, flickers, or harsh coloring. For more information on this, read through our earlier post in this series: Intelligent Office Lighting.
• Décor – Things like wall sconces, down lights, and accent lights can enhance the appearance of architectural elements, add visual interest, and provide your bank an aesthetic appeal that stands out from the competition. A designer or lighting professional can give you specific ideas of what will work well in your specific space.

LEDs: a Smart Investment for the Financial Services

No one understands the importance of a smart investment more than those in the financial industry. And LEDs, with their money-saving potential and long lives, are an investment that would make any financially-minded person proud. By upgrading from older, less efficient bulbs to LEDs, you can save money by:

• Reducing energy consumption (LEDs require a fraction of the watts of fluorescent or incandescent bulbs while giving equal illumination).
• Lowering maintenance costs (LEDs can last 10 times longer than CFLs and are highly durable).
• Heightening employee productivity (People stay more focused on their work, have fewer sick days, and have better moods when in proper lighting).
• Provide an overall payback that boosts your bottom line.

As an example of the type of savings you could expect, if a bank were to switch 120 interior T12, 34 Watt fluorescent lamps with 60 T8, 28 Watt LEDs, they could reduce lighting energy costs by $1,180 per year while offering the same or better quality light. Based on average LED prices, making such a switch could result in a ROI in a little over one year. And this scenario doesn’t even include the savings they’d get from fewer bulb replacements, lower lighting maintenance costs, and increased worker productivity.

Imagine the savings you could achieve if you not only retrofitted your interior lights with LEDs but also your signs, parking lot lights, and other exterior fixtures.

Other Considerations

In addition to upgrading luminaires, efficient financial services lighting also includes other technology to lower energy consumption. Things like occupancy sensors, control systems, daylight harvesting, and dimmers make it possible to take advantage of sunlight and to only use the minimum amount of light and electricity as necessary. Just as with LEDs, these things have higher upfront costs as compared to traditional bulbs, yet they have relatively quick ROIs and long term benefits. Ultimately, LEDs combined with other modern lighting technologies help create an optimal environment for both customers and workers and provide you with savings that you can take to the bank.