Nicholas Electrical

Is It Time to Upgrade Your Office Lighting to LED?

Lighting is something many businesses use every working day without giving it much thought. But older fluorescent and traditional office lighting can become inefficient, require increasing maintenance and may no longer provide the quality of light expected in a modern workplace.

For businesses considering improvements to their premises, upgrading existing office lighting to LED can be a practical place to start.

At Nicholas Electrical, we carry out commercial lighting installations and upgrades for businesses across Sussex, Surrey and Kent. This includes assessing existing lighting, replacing older fittings with suitable LED alternatives and carrying out associated electrical improvements where required.

A recent project at offices in East Grinstead, West Sussex, is a good example of how this can be approached while minimising disruption to the business.

Why replace older office lighting with LED?

There isn't necessarily anything dramatic about changing an office light fitting. However, when an entire office contains older fittings that are used for many hours each week, the difference can become much more significant.

Modern LED lighting can offer several advantages over older lighting technologies.

Reduced electricity consumption is one of the main reasons businesses consider LED. A properly designed LED installation can provide the required level of illumination while using less energy than many older lighting systems.

There can also be less routine maintenance. LED fittings typically have long operating lives, which can reduce the frequency with which lamps and other components need replacing.

For a commercial property, this can be particularly useful where lighting is installed in areas that are difficult to access or where maintenance work would interfere with normal business operations.

Good commercial lighting isn't just about energy efficiency

Energy consumption is important, but it shouldn't be the only consideration when choosing new office lighting.

The way a workplace is illuminated affects how the space looks and functions.

When we look at a commercial lighting upgrade, considerations can include the type of work being carried out, the positioning of existing fittings, the required light levels and the characteristics of the building itself.

Simply replacing an old fitting with the brightest LED available isn't necessarily the best solution.

The aim should be to create appropriate, effective lighting for the space while also taking advantage of the efficiency of modern LED technology.

A recent East Grinstead office project

We recently carried out electrical improvement works at RH & RW Clutton's offices in East Grinstead.

The existing office lighting included older fittings which were replaced with modern LED alternatives.

The photographs from the project provide a useful before-and-after comparison and demonstrate how upgrading the lighting can change the appearance of a working environment as well as modernising the electrical installation.

The project also involved more than lighting.

Following an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), our electricians carried out remedial work and electrical improvements identified from the report.

This meant that the client could combine improvements to the lighting with other work required on the electrical installation.

What happens when an EICR identifies remedial work?

An EICR provides an assessment of the condition of an electrical installation at the time of inspection.

Depending on what is found, the report may identify items requiring remedial work or improvements.

For commercial property owners, landlords, facilities managers and businesses, receiving the report is therefore sometimes only the first stage.

The next question is:

Who is going to carry out the necessary work?

As an NICEIC Approved Contractor, Nicholas Electrical can undertake commercial electrical work including EICRs, remedial works, alterations, upgrades and new installations.

Where practical, several improvements can also be planned together rather than approaching each issue as an entirely separate project.

Can commercial electrical work be carried out outside office hours?

This was particularly important on our East Grinstead project.

Closing an office or having electricians working around employees during the working day isn't always practical.

We therefore arranged to carry out the electrical work outside the client's normal working hours.

This allowed us to undertake the lighting replacement and associated electrical works while helping to minimise disruption to the people who use the building.

For businesses considering electrical improvements, it's worth discussing working arrangements with the contractor at the planning stage.

Depending on the project, evening, weekend or other out-of-hours working may provide a much more practical solution.

When should a business consider a lighting upgrade?

There isn't a single point at which every business should replace its lighting.

However, it may be worth reviewing your installation if your premises still rely heavily on older fluorescent fittings, lighting maintenance is becoming increasingly frequent, parts of the workplace are poorly illuminated or you're already planning refurbishment or other electrical work.

It can also make sense to consider lighting as part of a wider strategy to reduce the electricity consumption of a commercial property.

A competent electrical contractor can look at the existing installation and discuss the available options rather than assuming that every fitting needs to be replaced in exactly the same way.

Planning electrical improvements around your business

One of the most important aspects of commercial electrical work is understanding that the building still has a job to do.

An office needs to remain an office. A warehouse needs to keep operating. A school, golf club, leisure facility or commercial property may have times when electrical work would be particularly disruptive.

That's why at Nicholas Electrical we aim to plan commercial electrical projects around the requirements of the client and the premises.

This can include carrying out work in stages, coordinating electrical improvements with refurbishment projects or arranging out-of-hours working where appropriate.

Commercial electricians covering Sussex, Surrey and Kent



Nicholas Electrical provides commercial electrical services for businesses, property owners and organisations throughout Sussex, Surrey and Kent, including East Grinstead and the surrounding areas.

As an NICEIC Approved Contractor, our commercial electrical work includes LED lighting upgrades, EICRs and remedial works, three-phase installations, electrical alterations, additional power, EV charge points, refurbishment projects and ongoing electrical improvements.

If your business is considering upgrading older office lighting or you have received an EICR identifying electrical work that needs attention, contact Nicholas Electrical to discuss your requirements.