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 Track
Lighting Explained
By Adam Jones
A store’s lighting plan can have as much to do with
setting the stage for a retail environment as the merchandise
on the shelves or design of the fixtures. A customer’s
mood, attention and perception are all deeply affected
by the lighting scheme of his or her surroundings, which
is why proper lighting is essential to the creation of
a space that puts people in a buying frame of mind.
Creating a lighting plan involves a careful balance between
ambient and accent lighting. Ambient lighting provides
the overall illumination for a space, whereas accent or “task” lighting
is used to draw attention to a specific object or a particular
area. For this article we will focus on accent lighting,
which is best accomplished using a versatile, economical
system known as “track.”
Track lighting has been around since the mid-1960’s
and has grown to become the leading method of providing
accented lighting solutions in both home and commercial
applications. The main manufacturers of track back in its
early days were Halo, Juno and Lightolier. Each company
had it’s own unique track system, and these systems
remain the standard to this day. Regardless of which manufacturer
you choose, every track system is made up of a just a few
simple elements that require very little effort to install
and maintain.
The first of these elements is the track itself. Whether
its recessed, toggle bolted, screwed into studs, or suspended
off of a ceiling, a track’s basic purpose is to provide
current to the lights the same way the socket on a traditional
lamp provides current to a bulb. A track is usually powered
by either plugging it directly into an existing outlet
or by connecting it to an electrical box in the ceiling
called a “junction box.” Simply plugging in
a run of track is the easier of these two methods, however
the resulting look cannot compare to the cleaner, more
professional appearance of a junction box. A junction box
connection does require that you hire an electrician to
complete the job, however, which adds to the overall expense
of the installation. Though we strongly recommend connection
through a junction box, it will be up to you to balance
budget and appearance when deciding on how to power your
track system. Once connected to an electrical source, track
can be laid out in any number of patterns using 2, 4, 6,
and 8-foot lengths with a series of connectors. These connectors
come in “X,” “L,” “T,” straight
and flexible configurations, which can accommodate several
different angles and shapes.
The next element of track is the fixtures. Fixtures come
in an exhaustive array of shapes, styles, and colors. They
can be as simple as a plain white
gimbal ring fixture or as complicated as a multi-colored
glass pendant light. The two main categories of track
light fixtures are low voltage and line voltage. Low voltage
fixtures convert the 120V current provided by the track
into 12V by means a transformer box in the base of the
fixture. Low voltage fixtures use a smaller-than-normal
filament in their bulbs which provide a “whiter,” more
tightly focused light than that of their counterpart, line
voltage fixtures. Line voltage fixtures attach to track
without the use of a transformer and cast more light than
low voltage fixtures. Line voltage fixtures are also significantly
less expensive.
The final major element of a track system is the bulbs
or ”lamps.” The two most common types of track
light bulbs are spot and flood. A spot bulb has a more
focused and brighter light than a flood, which lends it
self to highlighting specific objects. A flood bulb provides
a more general lighting pattern, which is well suited for “filling
in the gaps” by illuminating a wider area than a
spot. Low and line voltage fixtures both use different
bulb sizes, the most common of which are MR
16’s for low voltage and PAR
30’s for line voltage.
Having discussed the basic elements of a track system,
we will now focus on how to utilize track in the lighting
plan of your store. First and foremost, it is important
to make sure that your lighting plan abides by all local
and state laws. In California, for instance, in addition
to normal building codes, retailers must also abide by Title
24 Energy Efficiency Standards.
When deciding on how many lights to use in your store,
the key is to not use as many lights as possible, but instead
to effectively use the correct lights for the application.
Remember, track lighting should not be used as the main
light source for your retail space, and this should be
reflected in your layout. Instead, track’s role as
an accent light should be utilized to create contrast in
your store, which in turn draws attention to specific areas
or items. Intelligent use of accent lighting will also
allow you to avoid outrageous utility bills, which it turn
adds dollars to your bottom line.
When selecting fixtures themselves, the actual style of
the unit is far less important than the bulb you select
to light your store. A designer fixture may add a special
touch to your retail environment, however it is important
to remember that you are not selling the lights in your
store, but the merchandise that you are lighting. If you’re
trying to decide between using a 50W futuristic fixture
or a simple 50W gimbal ring fixture, keep in mind that
both lights use exactly the same kind of bulb. Remember,
it is far more important to spend money on quality bulbs
that make your product truly stand out than it is to have
a light fixture that competes for attention with your merchandise.
Finally, its important to remember that if your track
layout remains static, you’re not realizing the full
potential of the system. Though the track itself may not
be able to move, the fixtures you’ve selected can
be repositioned in a number of ways. This ease of movement
is one of track’s key advantages, which is why every
sale, seasonal offering or remerchandising of your store
should include a repositioning of your track fixtures so
that each key area or item receives the attention it deserves.
To demonstrate how all of the above elements can work together
to create an attractive retail space, here’s an example
of a lighting plan we did for a local gift shop:
In the above plan, the track is set approximately 10’ high,
the perimeter lights are held 5’ from the walls and
the center lights are set on 8-10’ spans from each
other. Window lights are set directly above the window pointed
back at the displays below to draw the customers’ specific
attention to the merchandise. Please keep in mind that this
type of plan is very general, so if you have any questions
regarding specific lighting applications we encourage you
to post them on TRIO’s
Online Forum so that our design staff can provide you
with further assistance. Until next time, take care and happy
retailing!
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