Don’t Forget About Interior Lighting!

Lighting has become increasingly more important to worship, especially with so many facilities fully embracing streaming. In the run to improve worship lighting, interior lighting has somehow become lost in the mix – and yet, good interior lighting is still just as important as it’s ever been. So, how can you make sure your lighting is where it needs to be to meet – and possibly even exceed – your needs?

Before you spend any money, it’s a good idea to map out expectations: what do you want your interior lighting to achieve? Where are the hidden nooks, crannies, and steps you want to make sure everyone sees? Work with your integrator or a lighting designer to determine the best way to make your lighting work for you, from the front entrance throughout your facility.

Some things you will need to consider:

? how much natural light there typically is in your facility during worship

? whether you will need to use the lighting for other events or special services

? what type of lighting control will be needed, including zoned lighting for different areas of the sanctuary, if pre-sets for some areas would be beneficial, dimming, etc.

? if there are architectural features you want to highlight

? how/where you will be running the necessary cables, where fixtures will be replaced and how they will be accessible for cleaning and/or repair.

For many churches, LED light fixtures will be the best choice. Their superior energy efficiency and lamp life makes them more cost-effective in the long run. Replacing older fixtures can help reduce the carbon footprint of your facility, along with reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs.

LED lighting needs to be replaced less frequently than the lamps in older fixtures, which reduces installation and maintenance costs. However, it is important to ensure you are getting the most for your budget – cheap LEDs will not last as long, so stick with known manufacturers who have worked well with other houses of worship and have the reputation and customer service to back you up should you need it.

Using existing fittings

Some older fixtures can be converted to LED, and this holds true for both the more theatrical-style fixtures (i.e.: fresnels or pars) and for most overheads, wall, strip, and sconce lighting as well. This can be a great option if you are on a more limited budget. Keep in mind that if your facility already has a dimmer system in place, this could cause problems – so before you convert fixtures for LED, make sure that flickering won’t be an issue. If it is, this might not be the solution for you, even if you are purchasing non-flickering lamps. While it is more expensive, replacing existing light fittings (and possibly the old dimming system as well) might be the better long-term solution, and can sometimes save a significant amount of money in running costs.

Outside of the energy and cost savings, installing LED lighting also helps improve the color of the light being emitted, aka the colour temperature. More traditional lamps have a variety of light they emit – from ‘soft’ white, to a more yellowy tone, or harsher whites, to name just a few, and these different color temperatures can and do affect the color of the interior of your facility. However, LED light sources can be picked that will optimize the way the interior looks – in other words, with just a little bit of help, you can have the best color or white that will highlight all the areas in your facility.

LED light sources can be picked that will optimize the way the interior looks – in other words, with just a little bit of help, you can have the best color of white that will highlight all the areas in.

For example, LEDs with a warm white colour temperature (2700–3000K) provide a welcoming ambient light, while other cooler or warmer whites might work better in the front lobby, offices, Sunday school rooms, and hallways. If you work with a specialist during the retrofit (or redesign) they will be able to recommend the best lamps and color temperatures to use throughout your facility. And while you are talking to them about color temperatures, you should ask them about sensors too.

LED lamps are more energy-efficient, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save even more money if you also add sensors to your system. Motion and heat sensors can detect when people are in the room and automatically turn on or adjust the lights to the perfect level. Sensors will help reduce costs by only turning on lights when they are needed and turning them off when they aren’t. Another bonus? Sensors will also help reduce the carbon footprint of your facility.

One of the best things about LEDs is their longevity – they are not prone to sudden and inexplicable failure. When purchasing LED lamps, always ask what the L70 life is – the number you are given will tell you the output of the lamp when there is still 70% of its’ light output remaining and is measured in hours.

Most LED lamps have guarantees (typically 3-5 years), but only covers the cost of a new bulb, not the labour to replace it. For this reason, you should look at purchasing higher quality bulbs for the harder to reach areas to avoid the headache and costs of frequent replacements.

Lastly – and this is important to remember – cheaper isn’t always better. While everyone understands that all churches have budgets, you get what you pay for. Cheaper lamps won’t last as long as a higher-quality LED lamp should, it will also likely experience color shifts, non-matching lamps, and fading color resulting in subpar illumination of your facility.