{"id":6760,"date":"2025-04-03T14:24:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.houstonlightscapes.com\/?p=6760"},"modified":"2025-04-03T14:24:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:24:55","slug":"avoid-these-commercial-lighting-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/avoid-these-commercial-lighting-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoid These Commercial Lighting Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you own a business or commercial property, you probably already know that outdoor lighting is essential to safety and security for your customers and other visitors. The right lighting can also attract business, but how do you know what the \u201cright\u201d lighting is? Sometimes it starts with knowing what the \u201cwrong\u201d lighting is. Avoiding the common commercial lighting mistakes outlined below can help set you up for success by saving energy and creating a safe, welcoming, and comfortable environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Failing to Plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just placing lights haphazardly in your bushes or on your building will never achieve the results you\u2019re looking for. A great lighting design will ensure uniform illumination across broad areas while also using accent lighting to highlight specific features that should draw the eye (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">e.g.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, signage, fountains, architectural features, beautiful landscaping). In addition, certain areas should <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">always<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> be well-lit for safety and security: stairs, steps, changes in elevation, entrances and exits, pathways, walkways, parking lots, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To help you plan out the lighting you need, walk your property at night, making note of any dark spots or areas that feel unsafe. Get as many different angles as you can, including from across the street or driving by, so you can see it the way your visitors will see it. Think about what you love most about your property and would like to feature. Then make a plan that includes both functional lighting and aesthetic and accent lighting that adds ambiance.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Choosing the Wrong Type of Fixtures<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although you might be tempted to try to save some money, outdoor lighting fixtures are not the place to cut corners. You need lighting fixtures that are high-quality, durable, weather-resistant (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">i.e.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, brass, stainless steel, etc.), and rated for outdoor conditions. As a bonus, high-quality fixtures like these are usually easier to maintain, repair, and clean. In the long run, low-quality fixtures will end up costing you more in maintenance because you will need to replace and repair them more often.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Ignoring Light Pollution<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a good neighbor. Don\u2019t add to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/darksky.org\/resources\/what-is-light-pollution\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">light pollution in your community<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that can disrupt the homes, businesses, and wildlife around you. Choose fixtures that have shielding on them that helps direct light exactly where it is needed. Place fixtures strategically to provide effective lighting without creating hot spots or glare.<\/span><\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6763 \" src=\"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/bigstock-125022971.jpg\" alt=\"Abstract 404 error design with lamp and rays, representing Commercial Lighting concept.\" width=\"832\" height=\"499\" \/>\n<h2><strong>Disregarding Energy Efficiency<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Underestimating the benefits of choosing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/energy-efficient-lighting-solutions-for-your-commercial-property\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">energy-efficient lighting solutions for your commercial property<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is like throwing money away. Older lighting systems and fixtures that use halogen or incandescent lights use much more energy and require more maintenance. Choose energy-efficient LED lights whenever possible. Incorporate timers, motion sensors, and automatic dimmers, which save you money in energy bills but also help prolong the life of your lighting fixtures.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Not Scheduling a Free Consultation with Houston Lightscapes<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Houston Lightscapes, we can help you avoid all of these common commercial lighting mistakes and more. We\u2019ve spent over 30 years transforming residential and commercial properties across the Houston area with stunning, one-of-a-kind outdoor lighting displays, using only high-quality, energy-efficient fixtures and lights. Schedule your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/free-demo\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free, no-obligation consultation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with us today!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you own a business or commercial property, you probably already know that outdoor lighting is essential to safety and security for your customers and other visitors. The right lighting can also attract business, but how do you know what the \u201cright\u201d lighting is? Sometimes it starts with knowing what the \u201cwrong\u201d lighting is. Avoiding&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6762,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,8,49,5,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-commercial-lighting","category-concepts","category-landscapes-lighting","category-outdoor-lighting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonlightscapes.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}