Sep 10, 2026Buying Guides
How to Choose LED Panel Lights for Offices: Efficacy, UGR and CCT
What 140LM/W, UGR<19 and 3CCT switching actually mean for an office ceiling - and the specification checklist that keeps panel light projects on budget.
Most office panel lights look identical in a product photo. Under the diffuser, however, they differ in how much light they deliver per watt, how much glare they throw into a worker's screen, and how many spare fittings a facility manager has to stock. This guide translates the three numbers that matter - efficacy, UGR and CCT - into a practical checklist, using ARTLITE GROUP's MG nano-grille panel family as the reference.
Efficacy: why 140LM/W is the office benchmark
Efficacy, measured in lumens per watt, decides how much ceiling you need for a target light level. The MG series panels output 140LM/W, so a single 600x600mm fitting rated 30W-96W covers standard office layouts with fewer fittings and lower running cost than panels at the 100-130lm/W level common across the wider range. Over a 2,000-square-metre floor, that difference is visible on the electricity bill every month.
UGR: the number your eyes notice first
UGR (Unified Glare Rating) measures discomfort glare; lower is better. Panels that achieve UGR<19 - like the MG series, which pairs a nano high-reflective grille with TIR optical lenses - capture stray light instead of scattering it across the ceiling. The optical material is polycarbonate (PC), chosen for high resistance to extreme temperatures and UV radiation, and moulded into a robust, non-yellowing product.
3CCT in one lamp: stock one SKU, suit every room
A DIP switch inside the MG panel selects 3000K, 4000K or 6000K. Warm light for a lounge corner, neutral for open plan desks, cool for a laboratory bench - the same fitting serves all three. For importers and distributors this is the practical advantage: one SKU covers mixed client projects instead of three.
One 3CCT SKU replaces three fixed-CCT models on the shelf - less capital tied up per project, and no lost orders to a stockout of a single colour temperature.
Sizes, dimming and installation options
The MG family spans 295*295mm to 300*1200mm, with power from 15W-24W in the smallest format up to 30W-96W in the 600-series squares and rectangles. Installation options cover recessed grid ceilings, surface frames and buckle fixing. Selected models support 0-10V and Triac dimming - worth specifying for meeting rooms and presentation spaces.
Driver and component choices
Panel light quality is decided as much by the driver as by the chip. Across the ARTLITE panel range, drivers from LiFud, Eaglerise, Philips, Osram and TRIDONIC can be specified, with Osram or Bridgelux SMD chips, and emergency kits added where escape routes require them. Naming these components in your specification makes quotations comparable between factories.
The five-line checklist before you order
1) Efficacy at the fitting, not the chip. 2) UGR value with the optical design that achieves it. 3) CCT strategy: fixed or 3CCT DIP. 4) Sizes that match your ceiling grid - 595*595 through 605*605 tolerances exist for a reason. 5) Driver brand and emergency options in writing. Send this list with your ceiling plans through the ARTLITE contact form and the quotation you receive will be comparable line by line.
