Weird Lighting Facts You Shouldn’t Ignore

Because your lighting might be making people dizzy, look sick, or cost you thousands — and you don’t even know it.

Lighting feels simple —a switch, a bulb, done. But the truth? It’s full of strange surprises that affect everything from how you feel to how well you work.

For example: Some lights flicker so subtly your brain notices before your eyes do. Others throw off colors in ways that make people look sick or tired without you realizing why.

If you think lighting is just background stuff, think again. Here are five weird, annoying, or downright costly lighting facts about lighting that might change the way you see — and use — every single bulb in your building.

💡 1. Your Lights Might Be Making People Nauseous.

We’re not exaggerating.

Old fluorescent ballasts — the ones still hanging around in a lot of warehouses, break rooms, and offices — often create an invisible flicker. You can’t see it with your eyes, but your brain catches it.

This can trigger:

Migraines
Nausea
Eye strain
Fatigue

Not exactly the vibe you want for your employees or customers.

Fix it:

Ditch flickering fluorescents and ballasts.
Upgrade to Type B LED tubes (bypass the ballast entirely) or Type A/B hybrids for flexibility.
Better yet, switch to integrated LED fixtures — like linear strips, panels, or UFO high bays — offering cleaner light with no flickers.

We stock them. We’ve tested them. They won’t make people sick.

🎨 2. The Wrong Color Temp Can Make People Look… Dead.

We’ve all walked into a room and thought:

“Why does this place feel off?”

Sometimes it’s the furniture or layout. But often? It’s the lighting.

The wrong color temperature (CCT) or color rendering index (CRI) can make people look pale, greenish, washed out, or just… weird. Think:

Retail stores where products look dull
Offices where everyone looks tired
Bathrooms with unflattering yellow-green lighting

Fix it:

Use 4000K–5000K for a crisp, clear, daylight-style look
Look for 90+ CRI in retail and customer-facing areas
Don’t mix warm and cool bulbs in the same space — it throws everything off

If you're not sure what you have now, bring one in. We'll match it or upgrade it.

🔥 3. Heat Kills LEDs. Yes, Even the Expensive Ones.

LEDs are supposed to last forever, right?

Sort of.

A quality LED can last 50,000+ hours — but only if it’s installed in the right fixture. Trap it in a fully enclosed space with no ventilation? You’ve basically built a tiny oven. That heat buildup will destroy the diodes faster than you can say “return policy.”

Fix it:

Never put open-rated LEDs in enclosed fixtures
Use integrated LED fixtures with heat sinks built-in
For hot industrial spaces, we carry high-temp-rated fixtures that can take the heat

Don’t know what you’ve got? We’ll help you figure it out.

🎯 4. You’re Lighting the Ceiling Instead of the Workspace.

Here’s a lighting error we see all the time:

A huge warehouse with bright lights… and yet half the floor space still looks dark. Why?

Because the beam angles are wrong. Or the mounting height’s too high. Or someone used wide-distribution wall packs for overhead lighting.

Fix it:

Use UFO high bays with narrow beam angles for tall ceilings
Use wide-beam linear fixtures for shelves and aisles
Adjust fixture height or spacing for full coverage

Our team will help you layout your space for even light, no matter how weird your ceiling is.

🕵️ 5. Poor Lighting Makes It Easier to Steal.

Yes. Lighting can help stop theft.

Shadows and dark corners in stock rooms, aisles, or loading zones create blind spots. And blind spots = opportunity.

If your facility has areas that are:

Half-lit
Flickering
Or full of mismatched color temps that make it hard to see clearly…

…then you’ve got more than a lighting problem. You’ve got a liability.

Fix it:

Install motion sensor floods or bright back-of-house panels
Use uniform lighting throughout your warehouse or retail floor
Add high-CRI bulbs so cameras and human eyes can see what’s actually going on

We can analyze your space, recommend the right brightness, and show you product options that don’t cost a fortune.