Commercial Lighting Installation Durham, NC
Good light helps staff work and helps customers shop. Brian Electric installs, upgrades and repairs lighting for offices, shops and restaurants in Durham and the Triangle, often outside your business hours.
- Licensed in North Carolina
- LED upgrades and repairs
- Work around your business hours
What We Do
Commercial Lighting We Install and Repair
From the ceiling grid to the parking lot, we light offices, shops and restaurants. It is a big part of our work as a licensed electrician in Durham, NC. It is one part of our commercial electrical services for small and mid-size businesses.
LED Panels and Troffers
Flat LED panels for drop ceilings in offices, clinics and break rooms. They replace old 2x4 fluorescent fixtures.
Track and Display Lighting
Lights you can aim at shelves, racks and window displays, so products look the way they should.
High Bay Lights
Bright fixtures for tall ceilings in shops, garages and small warehouses, mounted with a lift.
Exit Signs and Emergency Lights
Battery-backed signs and lights that stay on when the power goes out, so people can find the door.
Sensors, Timers and Photocells
Controls that turn lights off in empty rooms and on at dusk, without anyone touching a switch.
Outdoor, Parking and Sign Lights
Wall packs, entrance lights, parking lot poles and the circuits that power your sign.
LED Upgrades
LED Upgrades: Retrofit or New Fixtures?
Most older offices and shops still run fluorescent tubes. Moving to LED cuts the power bill and the trips up the ladder. There are three ways to do it, and the right one depends on the age and shape of your fixtures.
Ask about rebates. Duke Energy offers rebates to businesses for some LED upgrades. We can help you check if your project qualifies and give you the fixture details the program asks for.
Lighting Repair
Why Commercial Lights Flicker, Buzz or Go Dark
Bad lighting wears on staff and turns customers away. Here is what usually causes it and how we fix it. For outlets, breakers and other problems, see our commercial electrical repairs page.
Fluorescent tubes flicker or glow dark at the ends
Usual causeA failing ballast, or tubes at the end of their life
What we doReplace the ballast, or bypass it and move to LED
A fixture buzzes or hums
Usual causeAn old magnetic ballast, or an LED driver on a dimmer it does not match
What we doSwap the ballast or driver, or fit a matching dimmer
LED lights flicker or strobe
Usual causeA failing LED driver or a loose connection in the fixture
What we doTest the driver and the wiring, then replace what failed
Lights shut off while people are in the room
Usual causeA sensor in the wrong spot or set to a short timeout
What we doMove or adjust the sensor so it sees the whole room
Outside lights stay on all day, or never come on
Usual causeA worn-out light sensor, or a time clock that lost its setting in a power outage
What we doReplace the sensor or time clock and set it to your hours
A whole row of lights is out
Usual causeA tripped breaker or a loose wire between fixtures
What we doTrace the circuit and repair the bad connection
Life Safety
Exit Signs and Emergency Lights
When the power goes out, exit signs and emergency lights run on battery so people can get out safely. The fire code expects them to be tested on a schedule, with a written record. We install them, test them, replace what fails and give you the record.
- Batteries that no longer hold a charge
- Burned-out lamps or dim LED faces
- Signs that are blocked or hard to see
- Units on the wrong circuit, so they never switch to battery
Lights out across the building after hours? Call our emergency electrician line, open 24/7.
Every Month
30 seconds
Monthly Button Test
Press the test button on each sign and emergency light. It should stay lit on battery for the full time.
Once a Year
90 minutes
Yearly Full Battery Test
Each unit runs on battery for the full 90 minutes. Weak batteries and dead lamps show up here.
Controls
Lighting Controls That Cut Waste
The cheapest light is the one that is off when nobody needs it. Controls do that for you. In new or renovated spaces, the energy code often requires some of them, and we plan for that up front.
Occupancy Sensors
Lights come on when someone walks in and go off after the room is empty.
Best for Restrooms, break rooms, storage
Vacancy Sensors
You switch the lights on, and the sensor turns them off when you leave.
Best for Private offices, meeting rooms
Timers and Schedules
Lights follow your open hours, so nothing burns all night by mistake.
Best for Sales floors, signs, display lights
Photocells
A small sensor reads the daylight and switches outside lights for you, even as sunset moves through the year.
Best for Wall packs, parking lots, entrances
Outside Your Building
Outdoor, Parking Lot and Sign Lighting
Outside lights are the first thing customers see at night, and dark corners invite trouble. LED outdoor fixtures last for years and cost less to run.
Wall Packs
Bright fixtures on the side of the building that light walkways, loading doors and back lots.
Entrance and Canopy Lights
A well-lit front door looks open for business and helps customers feel safe after dark.
Parking Lot Poles
We work from a lift to replace heads, switch to LED and repair the wiring to each pole.
Sign Lighting
Signs that stay dark or trip the breaker. We repair the sign lighting and the circuit that feeds it.
Street light out? Lights on public streets belong to Duke Energy or your local power company, so report those to them.
How We Work
Lighting Work Around Your Business Hours
A lighting job should not close your doors. Nights and weekends cost the same as a weekday. If new lights need new circuits, our commercial wiring page explains that part.
Walk the Space
We look at your fixtures, ceilings and controls, and ask how each area is used.
Plan and Price
You get a written plan and price, plus the fixture details if you apply for a rebate.
Install Around You
We work early, late, on weekends or one area at a time, so you stay open.
Test and Clean Up
We test every light and control, haul away old tubes and ballasts and show you the controls.
Service Area
Commercial Lighting in Durham and the Triangle
We are based in Durham and light businesses across the Triangle. Call to check if we serve your area.
Neighborhoods We Serve
View All Service AreasFAQ
Commercial Lighting FAQs
Lights flickering or planning an LED upgrade? Call and tell us about your space, and we will tell you what comes next.
Call (984) 271-2113Is it worth switching our fluorescent lights to LED?
In most offices and shops, yes. LED uses far less power, lasts many years longer and does not flicker or hum as it ages. We look at your fixtures and tell you which upgrade makes sense.
Should we retrofit our fixtures or replace them?
If the fixtures are in good shape, a ballast-bypass retrofit is usually the best value. If they are yellowed, cracked or rusted, new LED fixtures are worth it.
Do you repair ballasts and LED drivers?
Yes. We find out whether the ballast, the driver, the lamp or the wiring failed and replace that part. If many fixtures are failing, we can price an LED upgrade too.
How often do exit signs and emergency lights need testing?
A 30-second test every month and a 90-minute test once a year, with a written record. We do the testing, replace weak batteries and give you the record.
Can you install lights after business hours?
Yes. We can work early, late, on weekends or one area at a time. Nights and weekends cost the same as a weekday.
Are there rebates for LED upgrades?
Duke Energy offers rebates to businesses for some LED projects. We can help you check if yours qualifies and give you the fixture details the program asks for.
Do you repair parking lot and sign lights?
Yes. We work from a lift to repair or replace pole lights and wall packs, and we repair sign lighting and the circuit that feeds it.
Do you need a permit for commercial lighting?
New fixtures, new circuits and most upgrades usually need one. Swapping a failed part in the same fixture usually does not. When a permit is needed, we pull it and set up the inspection.