If your school was built more than 10 years ago, you’re probably still using fluorescent, halogen or metal halide fittings and globes, or perhaps even the original incandescent globes.

ESIC Lighting is now offering Victorian schools the opportunity to switch to energy efficient lighting with no capital outlay.

Lighting warehouses, factories, large retail spaces, halls, and indoor sports arenas offers special challenges for property owners and managers.

Now a range of advanced LED high bay light fittings offer major savings for commercial and industrial premises.

You have probably heard a lot about how LED lighting upgrades can cut energy costs, and you might be thinking that the results sound too good to be true.

But lighting really is the easiest place for businesses, big and small, to reduce their power bills, and the energy savings can be significant.

Good lighting in workplaces is essential to prevent trips and other accidents and enable employees to work productively.

According to WorkSafe Victoria, lighting must allow staff to carry out their work effectively, without adopting awkward postures or straining their eyes to see.

The level of light required will also vary, depending on the area of the building and the task being performed.

Office lighting is thankfully moving beyond the fluorescent tubes that have been a business mainstay for decades. Not only are they expensive to run, they are inefficient, and prone to flickering, buzzing and can be harsh on the eyes.

We now place much more emphasis on office lighting that’s good for staff, and for the environment. So what are the latest lighting ideas and considerations?

Businesses have been hit hard by rapidly rising power bills, but some simple upgrades can make a big difference.

The Victorian Government has been helping make these upgrades more affordable for businesses since 2009, through the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target or VEET program.

Thinking about switching your lights to LEDs? It makes financial sense, with Victorian Government rebates available on the cost of lights and electricity savings over the long-term.

There are also a number of commercial LED lighting options, which means you can tailor a solution to suit your business, whether it’s a retail outlet, office, hotel, restaurant or warehouse.

If your bank offered you a guaranteed 50% return on your funds, you would probably jump at it, right?

An equivalent or better return is currently on offer as part of the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme, which offers a rebate to eligible businesses to replace old lighting technology with new energy-efficient LED bulbs and sensor technology.

You probably don’t drive a Holden Torana or listen to music on cassette tapes anymore, but many businesses are still back in the 1980s and 1990s when it comes to lighting technology.

Look around: if your factory, office or shop is fitted with fluorescent tubes or halogen downlights, that’s a pretty good clue that you’re working in the dark ages – and paying dearly to do so.

Thanks to falling prices and generous government rebates, there’s never been a better time for Victorian businesses to upgrade to energy-efficient lighting.

Eligible businesses can save money on their lighting upgrade costs, reduce their energy bills and help the environment at the same time.