Just as critical as financial performance is the human dimension.
“Lighting is not only an energy system, but also a human-centric system,” says Heinrich Thye, secretary general of the Zhaga Consortium.
Visual tasks, glare control, circadian rhythms and user control all influence productivity and comfort. When these factors are ignored, the consequences are often predictable.
“Ignoring occupant needs often leads to complaints, retrofits, or inefficient over-lighting,” Thye warns.
Lupita Legaspi, principal at engineering firm AlfaTech, agrees and adds that lighting quality and adaptability should never be treated as secondary considerations.
“Lighting directly impacts occupant comfort, productivity, safety, and tenant satisfaction,” she says. “A system that reduces glare, improves uniformity, and allows flexibility for future reconfiguration adds long-term value beyond energy savings alone.”
Evaluating occupant needs, she says, starts with understanding how people actually use the space.
“As lighting professionals, we know that different tasks require different lighting,” Legaspi says. “Focused desk work, collaborative areas, manufacturing spaces, and healthcare environments all have very different needs.”
She also points to demographic factors.
“People’s age, time spent on screens, how people move around the facility, and length of occupancy all influence how much light is needed and how sensitive people are to glare, uneven lighting, and color temperature,” she says.
Space flexibility adds another layer of complexity. In offices especially, layouts and schedules continue to change, making adaptable systems more valuable.
“Lighting systems that allow for dimming, zoning, or scene adjustments can adapt without requiring major changes later,” Legaspi says. She recommends that executives physically walk through spaces and engage with occupants before finalizing upgrade plans.
“I would recommend taking the time to walk the space, talk with occupants, or test a small area,” she says. “These insights often make a big difference in how successful an upgrade feels once it’s complete.”
Why does this matter so much?
“Lighting is one of the most noticeable elements in a building,” Legaspi says. “It reveals the space, shapes the architecture, supports daily activities, and communicates emotion. When lighting feels comfortable, people don’t think about it. When it doesn’t, they notice right away.”
The most successful lighting upgrades are those that balance technology, human experience and operational strategy, says Philip Terry, senior associate at global design firm HOK.
“Whenever enough lighting within a space is being replaced, the lighting controls typically need to be updated to current energy code parameters,” Terry says. This creates a compounding effect: “The wattage of the lighting will be lowered, and automatic sensors will turn off lighting when rooms are vacant or dim fixtures in response to daylight.”
Just as important, he adds, is using the upgrade as a chance to engage occupants.
“This becomes a great opportunity to educate facility occupants on the technology and how they can contribute to energy efficiency,” Terry says. In many cases, user behavior plays as large a role in performance outcomes as the technology itself.
Understanding how people actually use a space is another critical part of the evaluation process. Terry emphasizes the role of design professionals in translating technical constraints into better user experiences.
“It is important to engage your design professional on the project limitations, which can then offer opportunities to enhance users’ experiences,” he says.
Energy codes increasingly require lighting to come on at less than full output, which means occupants must interact with controls more frequently. “At this point, consider if a simple dimmer could be upgraded to a scene controller,” Terry suggests. Scene controls allow multiple lighting zones to be adjusted simultaneously, saving time and improving usability.
Building type further shapes lighting strategies, particularly in spaces where maintenance is difficult or disruptive.
“Think of the spaces that take the most maintenance time and cost to maintain,” Terry says, noting that high ceilings often require specialized equipment just to access fixtures.
In those cases, “a lighting upgrade is a great time to consider LED fixtures with remote drivers,” allowing the most failure-prone components to be installed in accessible locations.
Advances in optical design can also reduce the number of fixtures required. “The existing quantity of lighting might be replaced with fewer fixtures using better lensing and distribution,” Terry adds, “further mitigating maintenance points.”
At its core, Legaspi believes lighting is one of the few building systems people experience both functionally and emotionally.
“It affects how a space feels, how comfortable people are, and how well they can do their work,” she says. Because of that, she says that the strongest lighting upgrades balance financial performance with the human experience.
“When lighting is thoughtfully planned and paired with the right controls, it can reduce energy and maintenance costs while creating spaces that feel comfortable and supportive,” Legaspi says.
Planning early and working with experienced professionals is essential.
“Lighting designers help align energy goals, controls strategies, code requirements, and occupant needs from the start,” she says. “That reduces costly revisions and ensures the system performs as intended.”
Lighting is becoming increasingly intelligent, agrees Steven Mesh, lighting design educator with the Illuminating Engineering Society. “Fixtures today are almost like computers on a network,” he says. “They just happen to produce light.”
Looking ahead, he expects artificial intelligence to play a growing role.
“I think it’s a safe bet that in five to 10 years there will be a lot of incorporation of AI,” Mesh says, allowing systems to continuously optimize performance while still giving users the ability to override automated decisions.
In the end, Legaspi believes success comes down to balance.
“The strongest lighting upgrades are the ones that deliver steady financial returns,” she says, “while also creating spaces that people enjoy being in.”
Maura Keller is a freelance writer based in Plymouth, Minnesota.
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