Warehouses and production facilities make a significant contribution to a company’s success. In addition to efficient machines, smart warehousing and competent employees it is important to require well thought-out hall lighting. Planning to switch to LED offers warehouse operators an opportunity to benefit from all the advantages of modern lighting technology. This guide shows what considerations are necessary for planning and modernization. It also shows which luminaire offers the greatest benefits for which application.
LED hall lighting for more productivity
Warehouses and production halls are at the heart of many industrial and e-commerce companies. Where critical business processes take place and valuable goods are stored, the demands on operation and equipment are particularly high. Warehouses and production halls must take into account trends such as sustainability and digitalization. At the same time, they must also create ideal working conditions.
What is important for LED hall lighting?
The central challenges in hall operation are multifaceted. On the one hand, aspects such as human and machine safety must be ensured and optimized. Also they must take into account the cost-effectiveness of the measures. On the other hand, more sustainability, efficiency and flexibility in production are required. Added to this are the topics of digitalization, automation of processes and compliance with legal requirements.
LED hall lighting helps hall operators meet many of these challenges more easily. Thus, they succeed in positioning themselves for the future. For example, switching to LED technology saves energy costs and allows the light to be adapted to different work steps. This increases safety and enables productive work in compliance with workplace regulations. As a result, more efficient processes are possible, which, together with the energy savings, ensure the profitability of companies.
And these are just the minimum requirements that companies can expect from modern hall lighting. Modern hall luminaires are also the first step towards a comprehensive, networked and future-proof hall lighting system. In this way, hall operators are responding to trends such as predictive maintenance and automated lighting control. They are also responding just as quickly to increasingly stringent climate protection requirements.
What does the market offer?
The range of products for hall lighting is more versatile and flexible than ever. More and more manufacturers are focusing on LED technology. This gives users the advantage of being able to choose the right product for their individual challenges and budgetary ideas from a wide range of luminaires.
They benefit from many advantages: LED luminaires are compact and energy efficient, a rated life of 20,000, 50,000 or more hours also reduces maintenance, and optics make it convenient to diffuse and direct LED light today.
Planning hall lighting: checklist of key considerations.
For efficient planning of lighting systems in manufacturing and warehousing facilities, the most important legal, technical and safety requirements are summarized below.
Basics for good lighting
To be able to plan hall lighting efficiently and safely, the following guidelines are indispensable:
- EN 12481-1: This European standard does not specify fixed solutions for hall lighting. However, it does contain requirements for the quantity and quality of lighting for workplaces such as warehouses and production halls. It provides valuable assistance in planning good hall lighting with an open approach to technology.
Important key figures
The right light in warehouses and production halls depends not only on the luminaires used, but also on precise planning. Central questions here are, for example: How many luminaires are needed? How much light with what intensity should they provide? How will the hall be used?
Example: For painting work, a high color rendering index is required so that the artificial light does not distort the colors too much.
Important key figures to be able to calculate and plan the hall lighting:
- Illuminance (lx): depending on the activities – loading areas 150 lx, shipping warehouse 300 lx, tire production 500 lx
- Color rendering (Ra): basically Ra > 40, for workplaces Ra > 80
- Glare (URG): as low as possible – for example, for traffic areas
- Uniformity (UO): Work areas must be uniformly illuminated
- Beam angle: typically 120°, 60° or 36° – large values are ideal for ambient lighting; the smaller the beam angle, the more focused the light
A particular challenge with halls is the building dimensions: Hall spotlights can often only be suspended at great heights and must illuminate large areas uniformly and brightly from there. How many luminaires are needed for this depends on the illuminance they are to achieve:
Number of luminaires = (hall area * desired lux number) / lumens of the luminaire.
However, this formula only provides a guideline value – because, among other things, it does not take into account the height of the hall.
Construction and mounting types of luminaires
When it comes to the question of which construction and mounting shapes are suitable for luminaires in high halls, it is not aesthetics but functionality that counts in the production environment. Classic designs include circular luminaires with shields for focused beams, linear high-bay luminaires with high beam angles for homogeneous light, under-cabinet luminaires or diffuser luminaires for humid locations.
High-bay luminaires can be suspended or permanently screwed in place – here, too, the conditions in the hall and the desired flexibility of the high-bay lighting are what count first and foremost.
Ambient conditions in the hall
In production halls, dust, humidity, vapors and high heat are often part of everyday working life. When selecting suitable high-bay luminaires, these ambient conditions should definitely be taken into account. If the luminaires used have an appropriate IP protection class, long use without damage is ensured.
Human needs
To enable people to work safely and productively in the hall, the lighting must meet numerous requirements. Luminaires in production or warehouses must:
- shine flicker-free and uniformly,
- be of high quality
- not contain substances that are harmful to health, such as mercury,
- illuminate work areas in such a way as to minimize the risk of accidents without causing glare,
- be adaptable to different activities, and
- incorporate daylight.
LED technology can be used to illuminate work areas optimally and energy-efficiently. The question of the right illuminance often arises during planning. Research in this area is still in its infancy.
However, initial studies, such as a Fraunhofer UMSICHT study on the influence of artificial light on shift workers, offer valuable leads: Among participants, satisfaction was highest with cool white light with high visual and melanopic illuminance. Concentration, daytime sleepiness and sleep-wake rhythms were also more positively affected under dynamic, neutral white light than under warm white light.
Digitalization and control
On and off was yesterday: modern hall lighting is also dimmable or can be controlled automatically via app using a DALI interface. It is true that the use of networked and automated lighting control is not a must. However, it offers significant advantages today and in the future:
- Companies are thus able to act more sustainably. In combination with presence detectors, light is only available when it is really needed – which saves energy.
- LED hall lighting ensures the future viability of companies: They are thus ready for further digitization steps, for example by controlling their lighting via app and in harmony with daylight.
Buying guide: Which hall lighting for which application?
The above-mentioned range of available high-bay luminaires is also reflected in the Reichelt portfolio. Here, luminaires with 4,000 to 65,000 lm and with neutral white and cool white color temperatures are available.
The following overview shows the variety of high-bay luminaires for individual challenges. They belong to the so-called HighBays (high hall luminaires), which have proven themselves many times over when used in halls – especially with high ceilings.
The reliable one: Best choice for beginners
To reliably illuminate halls, LED UFO luminaires such as the ELED 500105 are a safe choice. Despite an intense illuminance of 14,000 lm, they are economical in consumption. They prove to be resistant thanks to IP65 classification and robust design. The hall spotlight can be variably mounted on the ceiling and its low weight of only 2.5 kg facilitates suspension.
For safe paths
Linear HighBays homogeneously illuminate long aisles as well as workstations and merchandise areas. The OPT HB8156, for example, achieves this with a luminous flux of 15,000 lm, a color temperature of neutral white 4,500 K and with a beam angle of 60°. While its light ensures safety on traffic routes, the luminaire itself is also protected: A robust aluminum housing and shatterproof lens shield the luminaire from the harsh environmental conditions found in industrial environments.Effortlessly saves costs
When optimum visibility conditions are the focus of lighting planning, high-bay luminaires such as the EGB 683635 skilfully exploit their advantages. The spotlight has optimum glare control, is flicker-free and offers an efficient lumen-to-watt ratio for high luminous efficacy. Moreover, since the HighBay is dimmable, it can be used to exploit all the potential for cost savings.
Ready for the future
Early adopters and companies that want to help shape the digital transformation cannot ignore DALI luminaires. Those who want to automate more and more processes in production or in the department store in the future are well advised to use the OPT 8170.
The LED HighBay is IoT-capable and has a DALI 2.0 interface for intelligent and efficient hall lighting – it thus saves up to 90 percent energy compared to conventional hall lighting. Moreover, it meets all the requirements for modern hall lighting – from flicker-free light to easy installation even on high hall ceilings.
Power for big challenges
For particularly high demands – and high ceilings – power is needed. The Hall lightingis not stingy with power: the high-lumen version of the suspended high-bay spotlight provides excellent lighting conditions in the hall with 65,000 lm. And that with a light output of 130 lm per watt, which rivals the efficiency of high-pressure sodium lamps. The trouble-free operation of the powerhouse is made possible by efficient thermal management and the IP65 protection class.Is LED hall lighting an investment for the future?
Companies, hall operators, facility managers or electricians planning modernized hall lighting will find everything they need for this at Reichelt. The decisive factors in selecting a luminaire are functionality, quality and the individual challenges in the hall. Using filters and data sheets, the right hall lighting can be found quickly for every requirement – and in every price range.
Yet many hall operators shy away from switching to LED for cost reasons. However, the purchase price accounts for the smallest proportion of the total life-cycle costs of LED luminaires. Thanks to their high efficiency, they often pay for themselves after just a few years. Moreover, hall operators can already meet many challenges that will become even more relevant in the future: Controllable LED luminaires can be effortlessly supplemented
Modernization is also worthwhile from a legal point of view. In addition to increasingly stringent sustainability requirements, hall operators are also constantly faced with new legal challenges – for example, with the European WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU and the associated legal consequences in the EU. With modernized hall lighting, however, operators are so well prepared for the future that they will not be affected by such changes for years to come.
Images: Adobe Stock, ENOVA
