Parking lot lighting systems play a vital role in visitor safety, and they can mean the difference between a thriving and failing business. When parking lots are well-lit, customers can easily navigate the space and feel safer when visiting your business. Poor lighting, on the other hand, increases the risk of accidents and crime.
Upgrading your current system and installing LED lights for parking lots has many benefits.
LED Lights Have Greater Energy Efficiency
One of the biggest appeals of LED lighting is their energy efficiency. HID parking lot lights use anywhere from 400-1,000 watts, whereas LEDs use 40-600 watts.
The LED equivalent of a 150w pulse start metal halide offers energy savings of 63%. Overall, LED lights can reduce a business’s total energy consumption by 50%.
Switching over to LED parking lot lighting could potentially save your business thousands of dollars a year.
LED Lights Have Better Light Distribution
A bright, evenly lit parking lot offers better safety and security compared to a poorly lit parking lot. Because LEDs distribute light from multiple points, the light pattern is more evenly distributed.
Brightly lit parking lots deter crime while making it easier for customers to safely park and navigate sidewalks. In fact, one study found that increased lighting can reduce crime by up to 36%.
By contrast, a poorly lit parking lot increases the risk of accidents as well as the risk of crime.
LED Lights Have Longer Lifespan Compared to HID
A HID parking lot fixture can run up to 20,000 hours before needing to be replaced. Ideally, lamps should be replaced when they reach 70% of their rated life. Otherwise, the capacitator and ballast can become damaged. This means that you would have to replace the lamp every 14,000 hours instead of every 20,000 hours.
Depending on your daily usage, this may mean having to replace lamps every two to three years.
LED parking lot lights, on the other hand, can last 50,000 hours or more. That’s almost three times longer than their HID light counterparts. A longer lifespan translates to even greater cost savings and less maintenance.
LED Lights Have Lower Maintenance Costs
Parking lot lighting systems need to be reliable and ready to help illuminate a lot tonight and a year from now. Businesses have a lot of overhead, but LED systems allow for minimal parking lot lighting maintenance.
The longevity of the bulbs, compared to HID fixtures, lasts 150% longer, requiring fewer light replacements.
Since the output of LED fixtures slowly decreases over time, the lights last for years with less maintenance and equipment costs. Since the bulb degrades rather than ceasing completely, there’s ample time for businesses to change out bulbs before they’re completely dead.
Fewer overall fixtures are needed, too. LED lights distribute light evenly so that they can be spread across larger parking lots with less equipment.
Overall, fewer fixtures and less replacement help offset the initial cost of upgrading lighting systems and maintaining them over the long-term. Customers and employees will also enjoy a lot that is:
- Evenly illuminated
- Less prone to fixture outages
Better visibility is beneficial for every – especially customers. Lumen depreciation, even when an LED light reaches its rated lifespan, is often only 70%. HID lights will lose around 50% to lumen depreciation by the time the bulbs reach their rated lifespan.
LED Light Systems Offer More Advanced Lighting Controls
Lighting control provides additional safety while better illuminating a parking lot. LED light breaks from the “bright spot” lighting of HID to offer an evenly distributed light pattern on the ground.
Retrofitting light fixtures with LED lights allows for foot candle distribution that’s even. Multiple color temperature options are available to increase or decrease the level of brightness in an area.
Truer whites are also available, allowing for more accurate color viewing in parking lots. Car dealerships are one example of where an LED light can help provide true color display for vehicles. LED lights also won’t have the gradual fading effect that can change the hue of the vehicle.
Parking lot lighting is a crucial aspect of every business’s lighting. The right lighting provides safety for customers, reduces the risks of trips and falls and doesn’t have to be cost-intensive. LED lighting helps provide even, long-lasting light that costs less to maintain than HID lights.