Lighting in Industrial Facilities

Results of the 2018 lighting & lighting controls study indicate five key findings

The Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2018 Lighting & Lighting Controls Study indicated that 59% of engineers specify, design, or make product selections for industrial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses-and 82% of these engineers are responsible for determining the requirements/writing specifications for these projects. Below are five lighting and lighting controls findings as they relate to industrial/manufacturing facility/warehouse projects:

  1. Revenue: The average firm earns $608,000 annually from lighting and lighting control projects specified into new and existing industrial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses, with 23% bringing in more than $1 million each year from these projects.
  2. Systems specified: The top three lights or lighting control products being specified into industrial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses are LEDs (97%); lighting controls and/or addressable systems (71%); and any size T5, T8, or T12 (51%).
  3. Challenges: When working on lighting engineering and design for industrial/manufacturing facilities/warehouses, engineers are having the most difficulty with insufficient budgets for high-quality designs (71%) and meeting LEED, ASHRAE 90.1, California Title 24, or other sustainable design codes/standards.
  4. Comparing products: Overall quality is most important when selecting a lighting product for an industrial/manufacturing facility/warehouse; engineers are also looking at energy efficiency, manufacturers’ reputations, service support, and lifecycle cost.
  5. Specifications: Engineers are most frequently issuing open (alternate or substitute) lighting systems specifications (71%) for industrial/manufacturing facility/warehouse projects, followed by performance specifications (70%).

7: The average number of projects that engineers work on at the same time. Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2017 Salary Study

61% of engineers are responsible for researching and evaluating HVAC systems, equipment, and controls to be used in projects. Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2017 HVAC & Building Automation Systems Study

45% of engineers and their lighting designs/specifications have been very affected by recent changes to energy efficiency and consumption requirements.Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2018 Lighting & Lighting Controls Study.