LED lighting has become the go-to for various outdoor lighting necessities. Why, you may ask? Three simple reasons: LED lights are the most energy-efficient artificial lighting available on the market, they have the most extended lifespan, and they produce the highest quality light with an extensive range of characteristics!
The only noticeable downside is that LED lights appear to be more expensive than their alternatives. However, the prices are continuously going down, and if you’re a smart investor, you’ll recognise the value of long-lasting and energy-efficient lighting even if you have to pay a few more bucks!
LED Lights for Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting is much more challenging to design compared to indoor lighting. Among all the facilities that require high-quality outdoor lighting, outdoor parking lots are one of the most difficult to illuminate. Real estate organisations, owners, and facility managers need to think through and overcome three obstacles when it comes to properly brightening this space.
First, the parking lot must be adequately lit to create a welcoming and safe environment for the surrounding tenants and passersby. If the owner fails to produce excellent lighting quality, it can negatively impact the entire area. Second, parking lot lights must be energy-efficient because they typically run from early morning until late night. Third, a long average lifespan is essential for parking lot lights because it can be costly to hire people to change busted bulbs often.
So, what will you get if you mix all three necessary qualities? LED lights!
Characteristics of LED Lighting
As mentioned before, LEDs have excellent lighting quality, are energy efficient and have a longer average lifespan. Now, let’s dig deeper into each!
Light Quality
If you compare traditional parking lot lights with LEDs, one apparent difference that you’ll instantly see is the colour temperature. Most traditional parking lot lights like High Pressure Sodium have a yellow hue causing an indistinguishable difference between colours when switched on at night. With LEDs, you can choose between cool white and warm white light, illuminating the space without drowning the colours around. If you’re walking in an empty parking space at night, would you feel comfortable and safe with the yellow or clear white lights?
In addition, LED lights have a broader light coverage which helps reduce high-risk areas. Although, careful placement and planning are also necessary to ensure that you don’t have any blind spots.
Energy Efficiency
Operating different outdoor lighting like outdoor wall lights, floodlights and bulkhead lights for eight hours per night will eat a massive portion of your money. This might come as a shock to you, but the cost of a building is only 10% of the total cost of its lifelong operation! Energy expenses only root down to two major categories: lighting and HVAC. The biggest sub-category of lighting that takes a significant slice of the bill is outdoor lighting!
To reduce your outdoor lighting expenses, you need to cut down on the amount of energy your lights consume! Seems hard? Well, it’s actually pretty simple. Check your outdoor lighting system. Are you using LED lights, or are you still running HPS or Metal Halide lamps? If you’re still working with those old lighting technologies, you should not be shocked that your electricity bills are off the roof!
Aside from energy consumption, another facet that makes LEDs more efficient is their directional (emits light at 180 degrees). This means the light it produces is delivered to the target area rather than going towards the sky without being reflected (omnidirectional light radiates light at 360 degrees).
Lifespan
While energy efficiency and light quality upgrades with LEDs are outstanding, you can say that the most remarkable breakthroughs involve the radical increase in lifespan. LED lights can last about five to ten times longer than any alternative that you can get! It’s one of the reasons why manufacturers are willing to guarantee extended warranties where previously, you’ll have a hard time finding a warranty period longer than one to two years.
Parking lot luminaries should have this kind of lifespan. Just imagine buying a semi-lasting lighting fixture, and then after a year or two (or worse, just months), you’ll need to repurchase them, hire labour and change all the light bulbs in your parking lot. The logistical disaster and the expenses that you will shell out are just too much! Although eventually, you’ll have to replace LED lights, it won’t be as frequent as non-LEDs. By the time you need to switch them out, you’ve already used more than what you paid for!
Considerations for Outdoor Lighting Fixtures
On top of the three characteristics outdoor lighting must have, there are other considerations that you need to think about. So, before you go shopping for LED wall lights, LED light bulbs, pole-mounted lights and other outdoor lighting solutions, here’s a checklist to ensure that you’re meeting the minimum standards!
- Compatibility: Guarantee that your bulb or fixture suits the current/standard connections (or ensure that your electrician notes the possible modifications necessary to install to the existing mounting application).
- Corrosion Resistance: Ensure that your light fixture is tested and designed for corrosive outdoor elements. If you live near the ocean, you must ensure that your fittings have adequate protection to prevent early degradation.
- British Standard Requirements: Verify that the outdoor lighting fixture meets all necessary British standards.
Depending on the particulars of the outdoor space you’re lighting, the energy and maintenance savings that you’ll get will vary. However, you can trust that LED lights will bring in a better deal for you compared to non-LED alternatives.
To guarantee the safety of your outdoor facilities, be they residential or commercial, it’s ideal to hire an electrician to do the installation. Also, consider discussing your outdoor lighting project with an experienced project manager or distributor. They can help you design the most efficient and budget-friendly plan! For all your lighting requirements, check out our website, Simple Lighting. We have an extensive collection of LED downlights, strip lights, commercial lights, and more!
