When we discuss parking lot lighting, we referencing the pole mounted lights frequently seen in parking lots around the country. These outdoor light fixtures, if converted to light emitting diodes (LED) can provide excellent benefits to both building owners and facility managers alike.
Below we'll discuss three benefits of led parking lot lighting over old parking lot lights.
LED lights operate differently than your typical HID lamp because of the way they generate light and the way they distribute light. Specifically, LEDs create light via a semi-conductor instead of consuming a fuel source (the way that HID lamps generate light). Additionally, LED fixtures commonly utilize “multi-point” sources, meaning the fixtures have multiple diodes with individual optics. This results in light that is more evenly distributed across the intended surface. Below we will look at three compelling reasons to convert your parking lot lighting to LED.
Energy Savings
A primary motivator for any business owner is cost. If we look at the common wattages for LED parking lot lighting, the range tends to be from 40 watts to 600 watts. If we look at the same wattage for HID parking lot lights, the range would be 400 watts to 1000 watts. So just from making the transition from HID to LED we see a 40%-60% reduction in energy consumption. From a dollars perspective, this means that your facility could be saving up to $300 per fixture, per year, in electricity costs alone. Depending on the size of your parking lot this could be a huge reduction in cost.
Maintenance Cost Reduction
In addition to the significant savings in energy, maintenance costs can also be reduced by switching to LED. Due to the way LEDs generate light, the way they progress through their functional life is much different than their HID counterparts. Instead of ceasing to function properly once a fuel source is significantly reduced, LED generated light output degrades very slowly over time.
As a result, the functional life of an LED product can be significantly longer than that of a HID lamp, which drastically reduces the costs for maintaining a parking and area fixture over a longer period of time.
Lighting Performance
Finally, the performance of your parking and area lighting is of critical importance. Making sure that your patrons feel safe in your parking lot, and ensuring there is plenty of visibility as they they walk and drive around is paramount.
From a lighting performance standpoint, LEDs distribute their light via a multi-point design, which gives them a very evenly distributed light pattern on the intended surface. What this means is that light levels across a given surface will vary less as the distance from the pole or fixture changes.
HIDs on the other hand produce a “bright spot” directly underneath the fixture with light levels decreasing drastically as the distance from the pole increases. LEDs are able mitigate this problem through even distribution. The result is a more even foot candle distribution after installing an LED retrofit. Finally, due to the even distribution of light, LEDs are available in a range of color temperatures, and as a result provide a range of options to increase the visual perception of “brightness.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can see the tangible benefits of retrofitting parking and area lighting with LED lights. Business owners can expect to see dramatic reductions in energy costs (40% to 60% is a realistic expectation), less frequent maintenance costs, and an overall uptick in lighting performance. To learn more about an LED lighting retrofit for your organization contact Stouch Lighting today. We look forward to hearing from you.