LED Lighting For The Outdoors and Building Exteriors

One of the most important facilities for high quality outdoor lighting are outdoor parking lots. Parking lots present three major obstacles for real estate organizations and facility managers. First, your parking lot needs to be well illuminated to present a welcoming and safe atmosphere for tenants and customers. The type and specifications of the lighting used in your parking lot typically sets the tone regarding safety and professionalism for the building at large. We refer to this general characteristic as lighting quality. Second, your parking lot lights need to be as energy efficient as possible because they typically operate from dusk to dawn. Third, maximizing luminaire lifespan is important because hiring labor and/or keeping staff on board to routinely change bulbs can become very costly. Primarily for these three reasons it is important to install the best combination of high efficiency, long lifespan, and high quality when choosing a lighting solution. LED lights are the 21st century answer to all three problems.

Operating luminaires for eight hours per night means running up energy expenses. Did you know? The cost of purchasing a building is only 10% of the total cost of operating it over its lifetime. The bulk of the operating costs come from energy consumption. Energy costs tend to fall into one of two major categories: HVAC and lighting. Outdoor lighting is a significant portion of the total lighting bill at most facilities. Perhaps the major exception to this trend is with hospitals and medical facilities that tend to consume more electricity inside the facility than other building types.

Reducing your expenses from outdoor lighting is all about driving down energy consumption in terms of useful watts on the ground per unit of energy consumed to generate them. Most recently (from roughly 1970 to the present) this problem has been solved by High Pressure Sodium (HPS) or Metal Halide lamps. Prior to that the luminaire of choice was a Mercury Vapor lamp. Lighting technology has advanced significantly since the 1970s. Today there is a huge wave of lighting conversions taking place where legacy HPS and metal halide lamps are being replaced with higher efficiency, longer lifespan, and better quality LEDs.

Advantages of LED Outdoor High Mast Lights over Metal Halide High Mast Lights

They are extremely precise and even at extremely high points none of their light is wasted. Traditional light bulbs, on the other hand, are multi-directional and disperse their light all over the place, sending most of the light where it is not required.

They have a high color temperature that gives them the ability to reveal the true colors of objects. They help users to carry out tasks without experiencing visual discomfort. The lights also ensure surveillance cameras record minor details that are essential for security and safety.

LEDs can last up to 100,000 hours, maintaining 70% of their illumination capacity to their life’s end. Some HID lights tend to shift colors with age – metal halides produce pinkish light at the end.

Because LEDs are very robust and last so long, they are almost maintenance-free.

LED lights do not require ballasts, unlike HID lights. They can also be switched on and off on demand. They produce no infrared energy and are not as dangerous as HID and fluorescent lamps.

Commercial outdoor LED lights easily integrate with intelligent lighting controls that regulate the light intensity, the light output, and the lighting duration.

Outdoor LED Flood Lights

These broad-beamed, high-intensity lights are perfect for sports venues and the exteriors of commercial spaces, thanks to their powerful lighting capabilities. They enable nighttime sports coverage, giving sports fans an excellent chance to let off some steam after a long day's work. They can also be used to highlight beautiful landscapes, pathways, and monuments.

Flood lights can also be used as temporary light solutions for venues that have no permanent flood lights installed. There are two types of floodlights: directional and area floodlights. These two are classified by their capability to regulate their light's distribution and intensity.

Directional flood lights are commonly used in façade lighting and architectural wall washing. They can be used to boost the visual appeal of architectural or structural features. Most area flood lights are found in outdoor stadiums, warehouses, and parking lots. These are areas that need high-intensity light that is well distributed.

LED outdoor flood lights are usually mounted with trunnion mounts, slip fitters, or straight arm mounts. Common shoebox light fixture wattage range between 400W and 1000W. Once you convert to LED, you will lower energy usage by up to 75% – even more if you add lighting controls.

High-quality flood lights are very sturdy and are built with aluminum casings to protect them from extreme temperatures, strong winds, rain, or storms.

LED Outdoor Wall Pack Lights

Also known as wall mounted lights and wall packs, these lights are used to illuminate parking lots, landscapes, building perimeters, office complexes, and walkways. You will find them installed on vertical surfaces, on walls, or on lighting poles. They are normally used to light up outdoor spaces with heavy pedestrian and vehicular movement.

Wall pack lights work perfectly as surveillance lights and the best ones have certifications like DLC Premium Rating, UL Rating, and IP Rating. They are able to withstand harsh weather conditions of any kind.

These LED Commercial Light Fixtures have very low glare values and are impact-resistant. Paired with lighting controls, they can be switched on and off at dusk or dawn or on demand.