Among the many applications of outdoor lighting, LED lighting is fast becoming the most effective solution. It is very simple: LED lights are the most energy efficient on the market by far, they have a longer lifespan than any other lighting technology by a factor of 2-10, and they produce a light with superior properties. Due to their small size and steady state, these lights do not need to be repaired or recycled as frequently as legacy lights. The only downside is that we don’t think they’re the cheapest lights available.
Outdoor parking lots are one of the most important areas for receiving high quality outdoor lighting. There are three major obstacles to managing parking lots as an owner, a real estate organization, or a facility manager. In order to make your parking lot an inviting and safe place for customers and tenants, it needs to be well lit. In your parking lot, the type of lighting and specifications usually set a tone for professionalism and safety within your building. Find out more by visiting arcilluminations.com.
Quality of Lighting:
LED parking lot lights and traditional ones like High Pressure Sodium are most noticeable for their different color temperatures. You can clearly see the bright yellow hue in the “Before” shots below to the left. You can compare the grass to the same yellow image. Its distinctive color is almost indistinguishable from the yellow. In comparison, LEDs will illuminate the same parking lot at night. At first glance, the green color of the LEDs stands out. Nearly the same trees and grass you see during the day are seen under the LEDs. The customers, tenants, and employees attending the lot will feel much more welcome and comfortable.
There are several less obvious improvements in the image above, in addition to the color of the new lighting. See below for a closer look.
Efficient Energy Use:
Running luminaires for eight hours at night means spending more money on electricity. You probably did not know that. Over its lifetime, operating a building costs around 10% of its cost of purchase. Energy consumption accounts for most of this cost. HVAC and lighting are the two major sources of energy costs. For many facilities, outdoor lighting is a significant part of their total lighting budget.
The key to reducing outdoor lighting costs is reducing energy consumption. This means maximizing the amount of watts that are generated per unit of energy expended. In the last three decades (roughly 1970-present), HPS or Metal Halide lamps have largely solved this problem. There was a Mercury Vapor lamp as the luminaire of choice prior to that. To read more about it, click here.
Duration:
While LEDs offer an impressive increase in quality and energy efficiency, their lifespan has also increased dramatically. There are literally two to ten times more LEDs on the market compared to other alternatives. Lighting common parking lots with LEDs lasts 2-4 times as long as metal halide and sodium vapor lamps. The cost of purchasing and installing HPS lights in your parking lot would be equivalent to purchasing, hiring labor, and replacing the bulbs in your entire facility four times before you ever purchased LED lighting.
