Adapt to Ever-Changing Needs With Field Selectable Lighting Solutions
- April 8, 2025
- Best Practices
- Lighting
Traditionally, contractors have had to order light fixtures based on a specific color temperature and lumen output. Now, they can order Cooper Lighting fixtures from Van Meter and select the desired color temperature and lumen level in the field with the flip of a switch. Why is that a big deal? These are the advantages of field selectable light fixtures.
ADVANTAGES OF FIELD SELECTABLE LIGHT FIXTURES
1. FLEXIBILITY FOR CHANGING APPLICATIONS
Differing applications require different Kelvin (K), or lighting color temperatures. For example, your living room might be a cozy, warm 2700K promoting relaxation, your office or classroom is probably a brighter 3500-4000K to keep you alert, and your garage or commercial warehouse is probably a bright, cool 5000K for maximum visibility. After all, you don’t want your home feeling like a warehouse, and a warehouse needs to be well-lit for safety and ease of finding products.
As buildings are renovated, repurposed and rearranged, lighting demands change. What happens when a bedroom becomes an office or vice versa? Traditionally, changing the color temperature in a room would require replacing the light fixtures. With color selectable light fixtures, you don’t need to spend money on new fixtures and the labor required to swap them out. You can adjust the color temperature and the ambience of the room with a switch on the fixture.
| LIGHTING COLOR TEMPERATURE CHART | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| COLOR TEMPERATURE (KELVIN) |
APPEARANCE | PURPOSE | APPLICATION EXAMPLES |
| 2700K | Amber | Comfort, relaxation | Living room, hotel room, restaurant |
| 3500K | Yellow/White | Brightness, comfort | Office, retail store, church |
| 4000K | White | Brightness, focus | Office, grocery store, hospital |
| 5000K | White/Blue | Visibility | Warehouse, garage, parking ramp |
2. ADJUSTABLE BRIGHTNESS
Field selectable fixtures offer more than color selection though. What happens when an office light is too bright? You don’t have to replace the light fixture with a less powerful one or install a dimmer switch to adjust the light output. You can simply adjust the lumen (a measure of perceived light) output with a switch on the fixture.
3. STREAMLINING INVENTORY
Using field selectable fixtures makes managing inventory easier because you don’t need to purchase and maintain separate SKUs for each type of light fixture, color temperature and lumen output you need. One field-selectable fixture can adapt to any application. There are a variety of fixtures that can be color selectable from indoor fixtures like flat panels and troffers to outdoor fixtures like wall packs and floodlights. The following chart shows types of Cooper Lighting color selectable fixtures and the available color temps.
| COLOR-SELECTABLE COOPER LIGHTING FIXTURES & TEMPERATURE OPTIONS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLOR TEMPERATURE (KELVIN) |
DAYBRITE FLAT PANEL | METALUX 2X4 TROFFER | METALUX 2X4 HIGH BAY | METALUX WALL PACK | METALUX FLOOD LIGHTS | HALO RETROFIT CAN LIGHTS | METALUX STRIP LIGHTS |
| 2700K | 💡 | ||||||
| 3000K | 💡 | 💡 | |||||
| 3500K | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | |||
| 4000K | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 |
| 5000K | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 | 💡 |
4. OPTIMIZING LIGHT OUTPUT
You probably know that having the right color temperature for your application is important, but did you know the ideal color temperature can change throughout the day? Color temperature and light intensity have a real effect on mood and focus, and it can even affect the way people work and learn. With the right lighting control system, you can adjust the color temperature and light intensity to automatically change throughout the day, ensuring you have the right light to foster productivity, focus, creativity or whatever goal you have for your application.
Spend less time replacing light fixtures with field-selectable fixtures.
WORK WITH A LIGHTING SPECIALIST
Which style of field-selectable light fixture will work best for your application? What color temperature and lumen level should you select for best results? Work with one of Van Meter’s lighting specialists to lighten the load on your next project. Reach out to your Van Meter account manager or contact us with the form below to connect with a lighting specialist.
ARTICLE BY:
KIM TOBIN
EMPLOYEE-OWNER, LIGHTING SPECIALIST