All commercial property owners should be considering converting their existing lights to LEDs, but especially parking lots. There are many advantages that LEDs pose over more traditional parking lot lighting. Parking lot lights are constantly exposed to the elements and endure harsh conditions. They also require regular maintenance to ensure that they are operating at a capacity that supports a safe experience for both pedestrians and drivers.
Switching to LED lights will greatly lower energy consumption, but that’s not all they’ll do. LED lights, unless specifically designed to, do not emit UV rays. This ensures a bug-free parking lot and a much more pleasant pedestrian experience. LED lights are also much more durable than other types of bulbs, which means fewer maintenance requirements and lowers the probability that the light will break, significantly. As we often say, LEDs allow you to do less with more. So, making the switch to LEDs just makes sense.
However, the actual process of upgrading to LED can be confusing because it’s not a straight swap. So what do you need to know? What should you consider? How do you get started? Here’s a comprehensive guide on what you need to know about LED parking lights.
Do you NEED to upgrade your parking lot lights to LED?
If we’re being honest, unless your lights are extremely degraded, you probably don’t NEED to upgrade to LEDs. However, if you want lower energy bills AND better lights, yes you need to upgrade to LEDs. Payback is a simple calculation that determines, based on the savings, how long it will take you to recoup your investment.
LEDs, though an initial investment, have an extremely low payback period, which means you make your money back in no time. In order to calculate payback, there are several different costs to take into account.
Cost of the Fixture
Initially, LEDs are more expensive than other bulbs. However, because of their low energy consumption and minimal maintenance requirements, they end up being much less expensive.
Cost of Disposal
Fluorescents and Metal Halide lights both contain mercury. Mercury is a poisonous chemical, and you need to take special precautions when disposing of any product that contains mercury.
Cost of Installation
We’ll get into the details of retrofitting later, but purchasing new lights of any kind will come with some sort of installation cost. LEDs are relatively simple to install, but this cost is still worth considering.
Possible Rebate
In many cases, utility companies will offer you a rebate for converting to LED lighting. Not only could you be saving money on your monthly electric bill, but you also can earn money.
**Calculate Your Savings **
Step 1:
Calculate current wattage of your fixtures, including ballast draw. Luckily, this is a pretty simple calculation. Take the wattage of the bulb and multiply it by 1.15. That will give you the power consumption of each fixture.
Step 2:
Calculate your cost of electricity. It’s your cost per kw/h, which typically ranges between .06 to .30.
Step 3:
How many hours a day do you run your lights? 3 hours? 12 hours? 24 hours?
Follow some simple guidelines:
If your cost per kw/h is high, then it may make sense to convert.
If your hours of usage is high, then it may make sense to convert.
If you are getting a good rebate from your utility, then it may make sense to convert.
If you have a combination of the above items, then it probably makes very good sense to convert to LED.
Are there existing lights or do you need to add lights?
Regardless of whether your fixtures allow for retrofitting or not, if you have existing lighting in place it will be less costly to switch to LEDs than if you’re starting from scratch. This is true for any type of lighting.
The reason for this is simple. If you are installing lights organically, you’ll require costly electrical wiring. And, for parking lot lighting, you’ll need to install poles and map out a lighting scheme.
Using a quality general contractor or electrical contractor in your area is the best way to tackle this project. But it is still a good idea to be informed about both your current lightning and the new LEDs you’ll be installing. So what information do you need to gather before you start your project?
- What type of fixture do you have? If you are not sure, take a picture.
- How is this fixture mounted? To a pole, to a wall? What is the fixture mounting type? Slip fitter? Trunnion? Unsure? Take a picture. A good LED salesperson should be able to instantly identify what you have.
- What type of light bulb do you have? Metal Halide, High-Pressure Sodium?
- How many watts? 400W? 1000W?
- What is the line voltage? 277V? 480V? Single-phase or three-phase?
- What is your cost of electricity?
- Which is your utility company?
- How many hours a day do you run your lights?
- Do you currently use controls, like photocells or timers? Would you like to? This can save you even more money.
- How do you feel about your existing lighting? Good enough? Too bright? Not bright enough? All this can be addressed with the new solution.
- How good are your existing fixtures? Will they last another 10 years? Maybe retrofitting makes sense for you.
Understanding parking fixture mounting options
It’s not the flashiest part of the process, but being knowledgeable about your mounting options is essential. Nothing is more frustrating than getting your lights out to your facility only to find out you need a slip fitter when you thought you had a trunnion mount.
Your electrician will have to leave and reschedule, and you’ll be left deciding between buying new lights or replacing the mounting on the lights you ordered. Knowing what you have, and ordering the right parts, will save you time, money, and aggravation.
Slip Fitter
This type of parking lot light mount allows for the fixture to be mounted on a bull horn. The slip fitter inserts onto the tenon, which is usually around 2 3/8″ in diameter.
Trunnion
This type of mount bolts to a pole, arm, or wall and is most often associated with floodlights. It is considered the most flexible because the trunnion adjusts to accommodate different installation needs. A trunnion is also occasionally referred to as a yoke mount.
Straight Arm
This type of parking lot light mounts bolts to the light pole itself. There are adapters for round poles as well. Poles that accept straight arms are typically pre-drilled to match the bolt pattern of the straight arm.
What distribution pattern should you consider?
Establishing a distribution pattern is especially important for parking lot lighting. Lighting a parking lot ensures that both drivers and pedestrians have a safe experience. You need to make sure that regardless of where they are in the parking lot, it is well-illuminated. You can add optics to your parking fixture to change the distribution of the light so that it suits your needs. But, how do you choose which one is best for your parking lot?
The best way to do this is with photometric software. This will allow you to model lighting layouts using different lights and different optics with real-time results. These light designs allow you to compare lights and optics to ensure that your space has the best light distribution.
The two most common types of parking lot light distribution are Type III and Type IV.
Type III Parking Lot Lighting Distribution
Type III distribution for general roadway lighting applications and parking areas. Its throw is taller than Type II, but the side to side throw is much shorter. These are perfect for lighting the perimeter of a parking lot.
Type V Parking Lot Lighting Distribution
Type V produces a circular distribution that has equal light at all positions. It is great for flooding large areas, like parking lots, with light. We suggest this lighting distribution for the center of the parking lot.