LEDs illuminate new options in office lighting

For years, the choices in office lighting were pretty limited. Four-foot or 2-foot fluorescent lights in square or rectangular fixtures are a common sight. So, too, are long, suspended, continuous runs of the same lights. “Those are basically practical lighting solutions that were designed around existing sources,” said Rick Meyer, vice president of sales and marketing at Mequon-based manufacturer SPI Lighting Inc. Meyer pointed out the technology behind lighting had not changed much from the time Thomas Edison invented the light bulb until the introduction of fluorescent lights. Even after that, things did not rapidly evolve.