LIGHTING & LIGHTING CONTROLS


Warehouse lighting – bringing it up to standard


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High energy prices and the need to meet upcoming EPC ratings in warehouses is fuelling a high demand for lighting refurbishments in this sector. Anthony Martindale, senior product manager at Collingwood Lighting outlines what you need to specify


ccording to a recent report from Savills 78% of warehouses in the UK have an EPC of C or below. With the need to upgrade privately rented non


domestics buildings over 1000m2 to an EPC rating of B or above by 2031, there is a lot of work to do.


For most buildings, the simplest and most cost effective first step to save energy is to replace the lighting with modern LED high bay luminaires. With lighting accounting for between 50 - 80% of such buildings’ electricity cost, high bay LED fittings can reduce this by up to 80% - giving a payback of less than two years on the investment.


Specifying the right lighting


Good lighting in these buildings also boosts productivity and ensures safety. It is crucial for picking goods, navigating spaces, and avoiding workplace accidents.


It’s a good idea to start with an audit to identify what fittings you will need, and if there are areas that lack illumination or are too bright. Each warehouse will have different lighting needs depending on their structure, architecture, and operations. There are many different areas to consider including aisles with racking, open areas, picking areas, and outdoor loading bays. Each will have different needs. If it’s an existing warehouse, then note where the fittings are now. You may choose to use the existing locations to save money, but don’t assume that this is the case. Many modern LED


luminaires are more efficient than older metal halide luminaires so you can use fewer fittings to save on installation costs and future electricity bills.


High bay vs low bay The ceiling height will affect both the light


dispersion and its output requirements (lumens) needed from the fitting, to make sure that there is enough light where it is needed. The higher the ceiling the more lumens you will need from the fitting, but the wider you can space them apart. As you would expect you will have high bay fittings at a higher mounting height than low bay fittings. While there is some overlap you would typically use low bay fittings for ceiling heights of up to seven metres and high bay fittings for anything higher.


Exactly what fittings you choose will depend on what light levels you need and whether the space is an open area or has racking.


Open areas


Most open spaces will need high bay fittings with a wide beam angle of about 100o to provide uniform illuminance. Working warehouses are typically manned, so to meet BS EN 12464-1 you should provide 200 lux of lighting at floor level.


How many lumens per fitting you need to achieve this will depend on the ceiling height, optics and the reflectance off the ceilings and walls. You will also need to consider the spacing between fittings and the beam angle. A good lighting manufacturer should be able to help you with this. For greater installation flexibility choose high bay fittings where you can switch the wattage to alter the lumen output.


Racking areas


For areas with racking, CIBSE recommends lighting levels of 100 lux at floor level and 150 lux for safe passage. But you must also think of the lighting on the vertical plain to aid accurate picking, here you will need 200 lux. Choosing a fitting with different beam angles can help you achieve the right lighting levels according to the height of the ceiling and the width of the aisles. For general lighting, a symmetric beam which distributes the light evenly is ideal, but for aisles it is often better to select an asymmetric beam that has a rectangular distribution of light.


Dynamic storage spaces


It’s also worth planning for the future, with many warehouses already combining different functions in the same area. A large space may contain both open areas and racking, and these


20 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER NOVEMBER 2026 Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


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