LED lighting has emerged as the leader in outdoor lighting applications, prized for its energy efficiency, reliability, longevity, controllability, and versatility. There are many benefits linked to LED lighting systems, and you may find them used with the following fixtures:

• Parking lot lighting
• Street lighting
• Wall pack fixtures
• Canopy fixtures
• Landscape lighting
• Security lighting applications

If your property relies on any of the above types of fixtures, LEDs can serve your lighting needs. Read on to learn some of the most popular outdoor LED lighting options for commercial spaces.

What LED Lighting Fixtures are Used in Commercial Outdoor Lighting Applications?

There are numerous LED lighting options available for exterior applications. Some of the most common include:

• Parking lot lighting – LED lighting is useful for illuminating parking lots and parking garages. LED technology has been formatted for a range of parking lot fixtures and can output illumination in one of several light distribution patterns. For example, type III distribution patterns are ideal for parking lots because they throw illumination forward and allow installers to set the lighting pole away from the pavement. Parking lot lighting must cover large areas and lighting pollution is a concern, so it’s important to work with a lighting expert to model your project’s photometrics.
• Street lighting – LED bulbs can also power street lighting applications and are a fit for the same reasons that LEDs are effective in parking lot applications. They can be placed well away from the road while still providing sufficient illumination, they provide excellent illumination quality at night, and they are formatted for a range of street lighting fixtures. This includes cobra head, COB and SMD fixture designs.
• Wall pack fixtures – Wall pack LEDs are mounted to a building’s facade or other exterior vertical surface. You may also find them around loading areas, walkways, and other high traffic exterior spaces. Wall pack LEDs are compact and available in several varieties, including vaporproof and shielded fixtures for minimal light trespass.
• Canopy fixtures – LED canopies are designed for placement under an overhanging structure, such as a gas station overhang or parking garage. LED canopies throw an impressive amount of light in a relatively confined area, so they are ideal for brightly illuminating smaller areas.
• Landscape lighting – LEDs are also incorporated into a range of landscape lighting fixtures, including flood lights, bullet lights, bollards, wall washers, pendant lights, in-ground lights, and a variety of other fixture designs. LED landscape lights are IP rated against dust and water intrusion, making them a reliable fit for outdoor applications.
• Security lighting – LED lighting solutions are also appropriate for security lighting applications because they can be paired with advanced controls like occupancy sensors. With LEDs, your security lights can turn on as soon as someone is detected nearby. Since LEDs require zero warm up time and provide excellent night-time lighting quality, they can be used to quickly capture high quality images and video.

While LEDs used in outdoor applications are IP rated for protection against dust and moisture, they are also available in corrosion-resistant fixture designs that are ideal for settings like oceanfront properties, where airborne salt can cause damage to fixtures. With their superior durability, LED lights can replace legacy technologies like metal halides and high-pressure sodium fixtures (both of which are being phased out).

Four Benefits of LED Lighting in Outdoor Settings

Regardless of the LED lighting fixtures you choose, they will provide a wealth of benefits to your property, including:

• Improved energy efficiency and savings – Compared to metal halide lighting, LED light bulbs are far more energy efficient because they produce less waste while illuminating an outdoor environment. Metal halides, which remain a commonplace option for exterior settings, are omnidirectional lights that throw illumination in every direction. As a result, metal halides waste much of their output. Bulky reflectors can be used to offset this effect somewhat, but it’s an expensive and impractical solution in every setting.LED lighting systems have a noted energy efficiency advantage because they can be aimed with far greater precision. They are also more energy efficient at the source (bulb) compared to metal halides and others, but it’s at the system level that LED lighting really shines. It’s not uncommon for commercial properties to reduce their lighting expenditures by thousands of dollars every year when accounting for the number of bulbs featured in an outdoor lighting system.
• Extended longevity and reduced maintenance costs – The typical LED light will provide between 50,000 and 100,000 hours of high quality, reliable illumination. No other lighting technology comes close, as the typical metal halide usually fails before 10,000 hours, and fluorescents by the 20,000-hour mark. Since LED lights are replaced less often, property owners can save money on bulb replacements and maintenance personnel.Between better energy efficiency and improved lifespan, businesses can realize a rapid return on their LED lighting investment.
• Excellent night-time performance and lighting quality – Outdoor LED fixtures feature high-output bulbs that emit even illumination without hotspots or other flaws. High-CRI LEDs render colors extremely well at night, allowing people to see better and further. When properly shielded, LEDs also emit minimal glare and do not flicker, so they are easy on the eyes at night.
• Expanded versatility through advanced lighting controls – LED lighting is also highly controllable and can be paired with timers, photocells, dimmers, and occupancy controls – giving commercial property owners full control over where and when their LEDs are powered on. These controls can be used in conjunction with each other for optimal energy efficiency as well. For example, by combining occupancy controls and dimmers, LED lights can output at full intensity when a nearby person or vehicle is detected and dim when the area is clear. Business owners can save money by trimming down on lighting waste and improving safety by ensuring maximum visibility when it is needed most.

Consult with a Lighting Expert to Choose the Right Outdoor LED Lights for Your Commercial Space

Whether your property needs new parking lot lighting, street lighting, landscape lighting, security lighting or general commercial lighting, LEDs can provide an unbeatable mix of cost efficiency and performance. To get the most from your new or retrofit LED lighting system, consider scheduling an appointment with an experienced lighting company. The lighting professionals can perform a detailed site survey, model your property using photometric technology and ensure the right fixtures are sourced for your commercial lighting project.

LED lighting is a top choice for warehouses, as it can be installed as part of new construction or retrofitted into an existing lighting system. In both instances, warehouse LED lighting offers the following benefits:

• Superior energy efficiency
• Extended lifespan and reliability
• A low maintenance, low overhead design
• Excellent controllability
• Outstanding performance and lighting quality
• Directionality (the ability to be aimed)

LED lighting makes a strong case for itself. The question is – what LED lighting products are appropriate for a warehouse? In this guide, we will answer that question and provide information on what facility managers should consider before implementing LEDs in their warehouses.

Which LED Lighting Fixtures are Used in Warehouses?

LED lighting technology has been adapted for a full range of warehouse fixtures, including the following:

• Linear bay lighting – Linear bay fixtures output illumination in a rectangular pattern that is ideal for lighting aisles. They can be mounted directly to the warehouse’s ceiling or suspended from it by chains, so they can be installed at varying heights. Linear bays are also effective at reducing glare and blend in with their surroundings better, if aesthetics are a concern.
• UFO bay lighting – UFO bay lights are circular in shape and therefore emit illumination in a circular pattern. In open warehouse designs, this distribution pattern may be preferred and provide better coverage. UFOs are also more compact and easier to install than linear bays, but glare control can be a concern. Like with most bay fixtures, UFO bays can be mounted directly to the ceiling or suspended from it at nearly any height.
• Low bay lighting – Low bay lights are designed for warehouses with lower ceilings, typically between 12 and 20 feet high. Low bay lights can also be used to great effect in areas for more detailed tasks. As such, low bay lights are often used in workshops, industrial facilities, and manufacturing centers, in addition to warehouses.
• Task lighting – Task lights are smaller, lower-output fixtures that are designed for spaces where detailed work is carried out. In warehouses, LED task lights may be installed near the picking, processing, or inspection areas.

In addition to the above, you may see other types of LED fixtures acting in smaller roles. For example, LED wall pack lights are a common choice for lighting the building’s interior and exterior perimeter and are a good option for security lighting applications.

Further, some LED fixtures are built to be vapor-tight, which means they are shielded against dust and moisture. These lights come with an IP rating that communicates their resistance to solid and moisture intrusion. In warehouses where dust, moisture or corrosive materials are present, vapor-tight lights are one way to mitigate risk.

Four Things to Consider When Selecting LED Lights

For most warehouses, a combination of bay and task lights will provide sufficient illumination and visibility. The challenge is selecting the right fixture models and positioning them inside the facility. At this point, it is highly recommended that facility owners consult with a lighting expert before moving forward. Lighting professionals can identify the right LEDs and fixtures for your facility, using the following factors to assess your space:

1) The size of the warehouse

The square footage of the warehouse is the primary factor in determining which fixtures to install and where to install them. The facility’s size dictates how many lights will be needed and how they will be spaced out. It is important to get the spacing of your lights right because if they are too close, there will be areas of intense brightness and glare that can cause safety issues. On the other hand, if the lighting is placed too far apart, they will not provide even, adequate illumination across your warehouse floor.

2) The height of the warehouse’s ceiling

Ceiling height is the most important consideration when selecting between high and low bay lighting. However, that is only one reason why ceiling height is important. It also factors into fixture selection, as higher ceilings require higher-output fixtures. There are many high-output LED warehouse lights to choose from, including LEDs that can throw 50,000 lumens or more. When assessing an LED light’s output, it is the lumen count that is most important. Lumens are a unit of luminous flux and are used instead of wattage when describing an LED light’s brightness. In general, an LED uses about 70 percent less power than a metal halide bulb with equivalent output. For example, a 100-watt LED outputs an amount of illumination comparable to a 320-watt metal halide (which is being discontinued).

3) The warehouse’s layout

The layout of the warehouse, including its shape and the way it is organized, also has a major impact on your lighting system. For instance, if your warehouse is arranged in aisles, linear bay lights will be more effective. As most warehouses have a separate picking or staging area, these spaces may require a different type of fixture (or at least a different type of light distribution) for more detailed tasks.

4) Any efficiency or security needs

Many facility owners are switching to LED lighting for efficiency reasons and aim to hit a specified energy savings target. Other warehouse owners need to improve safety, security, or other important metrics. The ultimate lighting goals will influence the right LED fixture selection and placement.

For instance, if your new LED lighting system is intended to future-proof your facility from an efficiency standpoint, it will be important to optimize every lumen the system outputs. That requires precise photometric design. If improved security and safety are the goals, attaching advanced lighting controls (such as occupancy controls) will ensure the lights provide maximum brightness and visibility when needed and are switched off when they are not needed. This can minimize the warehouse’s energy consumption further and reduce the operating cost of the LED lighting.

A Lighting Expert Can Model and Install the Ideal Warehouse LED Lighting System

LED lighting offers the reliability, performance, efficiency, and controllability that facility managers look for in a lighting system. The challenge is implementing a new or retrofit LED system, but an experienced lighting company can help with that.

Lighting experts can provide a detailed photometric analysis for a warehouse lighting project, which is essentially like a glimpse into what the property will look like once the system is installed. Expert lighting professionals use this analysis as a guide in selecting, positioning and configuring LED lights, ensuring clients get maximum illumination coverage and efficiency.

If it is time for your warehouse to make the switch to LED technology, schedule an appointment with a trusted lighting expert to survey your property and begin designing the ideal warehouse LED lighting solution.

LED lighting can save business owners money in a variety of ways, including the following:

• LEDs reduce energy consumption and energy bills
• LED lights can be precision-controlled to reduce costs further
• LED bulbs last longer, so fewer replacements are needed
• Tax incentives can reduce the cost of installing LED lighting

Together, these benefits can provide a quick return on investment (ROI), especially for business owners who operate large commercial properties.

How Much Money Can LED Lighting Save Business Owners?

To get a detailed idea of a company’s savings, a consultation with a lighting expert is a great first step. During consultation, the lighting team will perform a site survey, noting the age and condition of the existing lighting equipment. They will also determine the number and types of fixtures in the facilities. With this information, the lighting expert can provide a detailed estimate of the LED lighting system and what the company stands to save by making the switch.

There are some general guidelines that can be used to roughly calculate the potential savings for the business.

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions states that companies spend about 20 percent of their total energy bill on lighting. For some businesses, that number may be as high as 40 percent.

Compared to legacy lighting systems, LED can cut energy usage by up to 80 percent. So, if a business spends 20 percent of its energy on lighting, switching to LED lighting could immediately trim 15 percent or more from its utility bills. Depending on the size and nature of the facility, that may mean thousands of dollars every year in energy savings.

But that is only one part of the picture because LED lighting provides a couple of other notable cost benefits. Specifically, here is how LED lighting can save a business money:

1) LED Lighting is More Energy Efficient and Costs Less to Operate

As previously mentioned, LED lighting can greatly reduce energy usage and utility bills. LED lighting systems achieve this in two ways – at the source level and at the system level:

• Source level – At the source, LED lamps have a modest, but significant energy efficiency advantage over metal halide and fluorescent fixtures (both of which are being discontinued). On average, LED’s luminous efficiency (the lumens it puts out per watt) is around 100, and current generation LEDs are already pushing past that. Fluorescent and metal halide lights range between 50 and 100 lumens per watt, but both decline rapidly and do not retain their out-of-the-box luminous efficiency for long.
• System level – LED’s energy efficiency advantage is mostly captured at the system level. LED fixtures emit light directionally, which makes it easier to position the bulb for maximum effectiveness. It can be aimed, which means more light reaches the intended target. If the lighting installer can do photometric analysis, they can use LED’s directionality to minimize the amount of power needed for the system. Other lighting technologies are omnidirectional, which means they emit illumination in every direction. This leads to a significant amount of waste and reduced system performance. The only way to compensate for this is to attach bulky reflectors onto the fixture, for an additional cost.

2) LED Lighting Systems Can Be Controlled to Boost Energy Efficiency

LED lighting is a modern technology adapted for modern lighting controls, which can unlock another level of energy efficiency. For example, pair dimmers and occupancy controls together with the LEDs and they can dim up and down depending on whether someone is nearby. In areas where people are not active, the system saves additional power by reducing or shutting down fixtures that are not needed.

LED’s controllability makes it an ideal security lighting option as well. When occupancy controls detect someone, they can immediately power up the LED lights and ensure there is enough illumination for surveillance. In this way, LED lighting may save money by deterring crime.

3) LED Fixtures Require Near Zero Maintenance and Have an Unmatched Lifespan

Once installed, LED fixtures require near-zero maintenance to operate reliably, making LEDs an install-and-forget lighting option.

More importantly, LED lamps have a much longer lifespan compared to other lighting technologies. On average, an LED bulb will provide 50,000 hours of high-quality illumination before reaching the L70 threshold (the point where the light has lost 30 percent of its lumen output due to age). Some LED fixtures will last longer – up to 100,000 hours in some cases.

Fluorescent lamps hit their L70 mark around 20,000 hours, sometimes less. Metal halides wear out even faster, requiring replacement every 10,000 hours or so.

LEDs can operate continuously for several years before they need to be switched out. The business will save money by spending less on replacement lamps and by reducing maintenance-related overhead.

4) The Installation Cost of LED Lighting Can Be Offset with Tax Incentives

If the property qualifies, the cost of the commercial lighting project may be reduced significantly by tax incentives. The most impactful provision is Section 179D, which provides an immediate tax deduction for the cost of a new or retrofit energy efficient lighting system. The deduction may be as high as $5.36 per square foot, depending on how much power the new lighting will save (the full deduction requires a 50 percent reduction in energy consumption).

It is highly recommended that business owners consult with a trusted lighting company to determine eligibility for tax incentives and to calculate potential savings.

LED Lighting Saves Business Owners Money and Improves Lighting Performance

Through better energy efficiency, reduced maintenance, enhanced controllability and tax incentives, LED lighting can save business owners a good deal of money. Depending on the size and nature of the facilities, it could mean thousands of dollars to the company’s bottom line. Further, LED technology is the future of lighting and will ensure the system remains viable for decades.

If a business is ready to cut costs, speaking with a reputable lighting expert will reveal more on how LED lighting can save business owners money.

LED lighting can help property owners avoid producing light pollution, as LED offers the following advantages:

• It can be aimed
• It can be shielded
• It can be controlled with precision
• It is available in warm color temperatures
• It can be easily diagrammed using photometric technology

Together, these benefits can be leveraged by lighting experts to minimize light pollution – including uplight that causes “sky glow” and unwelcome trespass onto neighboring properties.

Read on to learn more about each advantage of LED lighting in detail, and how LEDs can be utilized to avoid light pollution.

1) LED Lights Produce Directional Illumination That Can Be Shaped

Until LEDs came along, all forms of exterior lighting were omnidirectional in nature. This includes metal halides and other high intensity discharge technologies. Omnidirectional lights emit illumination in every direction – an obvious problem if you are attempting to avoid light pollution.

On the other hand, LED lights are directional by virtue of their engineering. They tend to emit most of their light in a single direction, and lighting experts can use this directionality to their advantage. Specifically, LED’s directional nature means maximum illumination reaches the target and minimal illumination is lost as pollution.

LED Lighting Fixtures Can Be Shielded to Reduce Uplight

Because of their directionality, LED bulbs can be shielded with minimal impact on the light’s performance and quality.

Light fixture shielding is one of DarkSky International’s primary recommendations for reducing light pollution. When it is attached to a fixture, the shield blocks all light above the horizon, preventing any upward-aiming rays from reaching the sky. Shielding can also reduce glare and therefore prevent light from trespassing onto neighboring properties.

Fixture shielding can be used with a variety of lighting applications, including parking lot lighting, streetlights, and venue lighting.

3) LED Lighting Controls Ensure the Fixtures Are Only On When Needed

Another way to minimize light pollution is to attach lighting controls to those LED fixtures. There are many types of lighting controls, including:

• Dimmers
• Timers
• Photocells
• Occupancy controls, such as IR or ultrasonic motion detectors

While each of these controls do their job a bit differently, they all serve the same general purpose – ensure each LED light is only on (or at full intensity) when necessary. For example, with dimmers and occupancy controls, each LED source will only light up to full intensity when someone is nearby.

Many businesses are already using lighting control products to improve energy efficiency in their indoor facilities, but the same approach is also effective for reducing lighting pollution. At night, when there are fewer people walking around, full-intensity lighting may be excessive and emit easily avoided light pollution. Advanced controls can mitigate this issue.

4) Warm LEDs Minimize Blue Light and Light Pollution

From a light pollution perspective, blue light causes more problems than warmer color temperatures. Blue light scatters further, causes more glare, and has a bigger impact on human and wildlife health. For these reasons, DarkSky International recommends cities and communities invest in warm lighting.

LED lighting is now available in a full range of color temperatures, including warm tones that are ideal for cutting light pollution. Warm LEDs are just as reliable as other LED lights and can therefore replace neutral and cool LEDs without a drop in performance.

5) LED Lighting Systems Can Be Precisely Designed

Prior to every LED lighting project, lighting experts use photometric analysis to diagram the lighting system to precision. During this analysis, the designer will create a 3D model of the project environment and place a variety of LED lighting sources to test different fixture layouts.

Every time the designer makes a change – moves a fixture here, switches out one LED bulb for another – the software instantly recalculates how much light is reaching every part of the property. These calculations are based on the manufacturer’s performance data, so it is mathematically precise.

In this way, lighting experts do not have to guess at system performance. They know exactly how much light the system is putting out, where it is aiming that illumination, and whether it is trespassing onto neighboring properties. With photometric analysis, designers can avoid light pollution by carefully shaping the system’s output.

Why It Is Important to Avoid Light Pollution

Excessive night-time illumination is linked to adverse health effects in humans and animals. It can suppress the body’s ability to produce melatonin, which influences our circadian rhythms and disrupts sleep.

Light pollution also disrupts animal migration patterns and can pull wildlife into brightly lit areas. This can have significant negative effects on the local ecosystem.

In response to these emerging health and environmental concerns, a growing number of communities are enacting dark sky ordinances to reduce light pollution. Several of these communities are in Texas, and enthusiasm for dark sky ordinances is spreading across the nation.

On top of dark sky ordinances, many cities already have light pollution ordinances in place to prevent illumination from creeping onto neighboring properties. The use of photometric analysis, cutoff fixtures and lighting controls can help properties remain in compliance with these standards.

An LED Lighting Expert Can Help Your Business Preserve the Night Sky

There are several ways lighting designers can avoid light pollution with LED lighting. They can take advantage of its directionality, shield the fixtures, opt for warm LEDs, pair the system with advanced controls, or use 3D modeling technology to position lights with precision.

If your project must adhere to ordinances that limit light pollution, partnering with a lighting expert will ensure you get an LED lighting system that is not only efficient and reliable, but dark sky compliant as well.

LED lighting is now the first choice for commercial buildings and spaces. Why? There are many reasons, but versatility may be the most important. LEDs have been developed for an array of commercial lighting fixtures, so no matter your application, there is an LED fixture that will meet the need. If you are installing a new lighting system or overhauling an existing one, read on for some of the best LED lighting options for commercial use.

LED Lights Used in Office Buildings

Office buildings are typically built with drop ceilings that were designed to accommodate fluorescent fixtures. However, now that fluorescent technology is slowly being discontinued, LED fixtures have been adapted to replace them. Some examples of office LED lighting include:

• LED tubes – LED tubes are designed to fit into existing tube fixtures and some also use existing ballasts, making these a plug-and-play option for facility owners. LED tubes are available in standard diameters, including T12s, T8s and T4s. Fluorescent T12s have already been banned and T8s are being phased out, but LEDs allow building owners to continue using their existing tube fixtures.
• LED troffers – LED troffers are made with a concave design that insets the lights higher up into the ceiling. Like with fluorescent tube fixtures, LED troffers are meant to be a direct replacement to fluorescent troffers – with the LED lamps plugging into the troffer. With their slightly recessed design, they emit illumination in a tighter, concentrated spread that is appropriate for lighting up individual workstations.
• LED panels – LED panels offer edge-to-edge illumination for drop ceilings, but this light is passed through a diffusion screen to prevent glare. The result is a softer, but wider spread of illumination ideal for general lighting applications.

LED Lights Used in Large Commercial Settings

LED lighting is also a mainstay in expansive commercial buildings, including department stores, shopping malls and warehouses. The following light fixtures are popular options for these settings:

• High bay lights – High bay lights are intended for ceilings 20-45 feet high and are designed for maximum output. Some high bay fixtures throw 50,000 lumens or more, as higher outputs are necessary to ensure adequate ground-level brightness. Photometric analysis will verify that a particular set (and arrangement) of high bays will provide enough illumination. LED bays are available in linear or UFO (circular) designs. Linear bays are better suited for lighting store or warehouse aisles, while UFOs are better at creating lighting “zones.”
• Low bay lights – Low bays are identical to high bay fixtures in shape and design but are intended for ceilings 12-20 feet high. Because they are installed at a lower height, they do not need to output as much illumination (fewer lumens are lost from ceiling to ground). They are also rated at lower wattages than high bays, so they require less power to run.

Bay fixtures can either be mounted directly to the ceiling or suspended from it.

LED Lighting Used in Small Commercial Settings

In retail shops and restaurants, more subtle lighting is required to achieve a nice balance between visibility and aesthetics. Here are some LED fixtures that can provide this balance for boutique shop and restaurant owners:

• LED track lighting – LED track fixtures are mounted to a track that is suspended from the ceiling. Each track can hold multiple bulbs and each one can be positioned independently. This allows shop and restaurant owners to be versatile with their lighting, as LED track fixtures can be aimed at separate targets.
• LED strip and cove lighting – LED strips and cove lights are indirect fixtures, primarily used for accent or decorative applications. They are available in a range of color temperatures, and since they are indirect, the fixtures are concealed from view. Their design means strip and cove LEDs are ideal for drawing attention to high-value products and establishing a cozy, intimate ambiance – without the fixture being a distraction.
• LED pendant lighting – Pendant LEDs are suspended from the ceiling and serve a decorative or accent role. Pendants can be hung at different heights and are available in an endless variety of designs and styles. As such, they can fit in an array of retail settings. Pendant lights are typically seen suspended over product displays, checkout stations, or restaurant dining tables.
• Recessed LED lights – Recessed LED lights are installed inside the ceiling and provide a concentrated spot of illumination. Recessed fixtures have a sophisticated aesthetic that people respond to well, which makes them effective in boutique retail shops. They work best when used to illuminate product displays or walking paths.

LED Lights Used in Sports Arenas and Concert Venues

Sports arenas and concert venues require space-filling lights to maintain adequate visibility levels. Given their fast-paced nature, arenas for baseball, football and tennis need extremely high-output fixtures for safe play.

• LED sportslighters and flood lights – Sportslighters and flood lights are the highest-output LED fixtures on the market, capable of throwing 100,000 lumens (or more). These fixtures are designed for heavy-duty, outdoor use and are therefore shielded from dust and moisture. LED sportslighters and flood lights also require zero warmup to come up to maximum brightness and can be placed well out of the field of play while remaining effective. Further, because LED lights emit even, high quality illumination, they offer the best min/max ratios on the market – a comparison between the dimmest and brightest area. Extremely tight minimum/maximum ratios are required for collegiate and professional-level play.LED lights are also available in several illumination distribution patterns, including forward-throw patterns that are ideal for mounting to out-of-play lighting poles.

LED Lights Used in Commercial Parking Lots and Garages

LEDs are also taking over parking lot and parking garage lighting applications. Their energy efficiency and high-quality output makes LED lights a superior choice for outdoor, night-time applications. Some LED fixtures you may see in these settings include:

• LED parking lot lights – LED bullhorns, cobra head and area lights are all frontline options for parking lot and garage applications. Chip-on-board (CoB) LEDs are also common, as they are rated for continuous use. LED’s directionality is a major advantage for nighttime use, as LED fixtures can be shielded to eliminate uplighting (and comply with dark sky regulations) while ensuring adequate light reaches the ground. Since LEDs are available in several distribution patterns, lighting designers can ensure optimal coverage while using fewer lighting poles.
• LED wall packs – Wall pack LEDs are mounted to the side of buildings or parking garage walls. While they are not typically used as the primary source of lighting, wall packs can provide additional illumination on walkways near parking areas and can also work in security applications, near building entrances, and around loading areas.

Four Advantages of LED Lighting in Commercial Settings

LED lighting products offer several benefits over older commercial lighting technologies. These advantages are driving the shift to LEDs, and they include:

• Superior energy efficiency – LEDs are the most energy-efficient lights on the market, surpassing metal halides, fluorescents, and other commercial lighting technologies. At the source (lamp) level, metal halides and fluorescents are only a little less efficient than LEDs. However, LEDs have a major advantage in system efficiency, as they are directional in nature (fewer lumens are lost from source to ground) and because they hold onto their lumen output for longer.
• Low maintenance and extended lifespan – Once installed, LED fixtures require near-zero maintenance throughout their lifespan. And LED’s lifespan is much longer than older lighting technologies. Lighting professionals use the L70 threshold to determine when a lamp has reached the end of its life. L70 is a “lumen maintenance” concept that describes when the fixture has lost 30 percent of its initial lumen output. At this point, the lamp is no longer considered viable.
  Metal halides typically reach this point within the first 10,000 hours of their lifespan. Fluorescents are only slightly better, lasting about 20,000 hours before hitting the L70 mark.
  On average, you can expect your commercial LED lights to provide between 50,000 and 100,000 hours of quality performance before they need to be replaced. This means you will need to replace a metal halide or fluorescent fixture several times during the lifespan of a single LED light.
• Excellent lighting performance and quality – Modern LED lights produce even, high-quality illumination that’s free from hotspots and dead spots. Inside, this means less glare and a more attractive look. Outside, this means better overall visibility, better lighting consistency (min/max ratio), and better long-range and color visibility. In fact, there are now high-CRI (color rendering index) LEDs available that render colors much more accurately than other high-intensity discharge lights.
• Extended controllability – LED lighting is the most controllable form of lighting available. LEDs are compatible with nearly all lighting controls, including timers, dimmers, photocells, and occupancy sensors. This controllability can be leveraged to improve an LED system’s efficiency and ensure that illumination is delivered exactly where it is needed, when it is needed.

LED Lighting is the New Gold Standard for Commercial Use

In just 10-20 years, LED lighting has evolved from a high-potential technology to one whose potential has been realized. Current generation LEDs are the most energy efficient, long lived and controllable lights on the market. Now they can match other high intensity discharge lights in performance and lighting quality – if not surpass them altogether.

Installing a new or retrofit lighting solution for your commercial facilities? Consult with a LED lighting expert to see what LED lighting can do for your commercial application.

In the past couple decades, LED lighting has been developed for nearly every setting and application imaginable, including drop ceilings.

Commercial offices have never been known for their high-quality lighting, but LED technology is quickly changing that idea. In the past, fluorescent lighting dominated drop ceilings and office settings, but the century-old technology is getting pushed out in favor of more efficient and more effective alternatives.

LED lighting is leading that shift, and there are now several LED lighting options to accommodate drop ceiling applications.

What Types of LED Lighting are Used with Drop Ceilings?

LED drop ceiling lights are designed to fit drop ceiling fixtures already in widespread use. Those fixtures include:

• Recessed lighting fixtures – Recessed fixtures are installed with minimal fixture overhead as they are integrated directly into the drop panels themselves. There are a few options to choose from here, including the classic downlight cans that can produce an upscale look in professional settings.There are also multihead recessed LEDs available, which look like track fixtures unless integrated into a larger housing unit. These fixtures offer some targetability and can be independently controlled to produce a larger range of color temperatures, beam spreads and brightness levels.
• Troffer lighting fixtures – Troffers are concave, basket-shaped fixtures that take lighting tubes. They are slotted up into the ceiling and, due to their shape, emit illumination in a tighter spread compared to panels. As such, troffers are ideal for lighting individual workspaces with minimal glare.Some troffers leave the LED (or fluorescent) tubes exposed to view, while others are fitted with an optical screen for diffusing light. Like with recessed fixtures, troffers are available in a range of color temperatures.
• Panel lighting fixtures – Panels are similar to troffers in appearance but are not concave in shape. Instead, panels offer edge-to-edge lighting and are therefore a great option for general lighting purposes. Panel fixtures conceal the LED tubes from direct view, which softens illumination and minimizes glare. Again, multiple color temperatures are available with panel lights and can also be backlit at the edges.

Four Reasons LED Lighting Makes Sense for Drop Ceilings

No matter the type of fixture your organization opts for, LED lighting will provide several benefits that will provide value right out of the box. Those benefits include:

• Reduced operating costs – LED lighting provides a two-pronged cost advantage to facilities. The first is superior energy efficiency. Compared to fluorescent fixtures, LEDs are around 80 percent more energy efficient, which means instant savings on the utility bill.However, that is only part of the picture as LED lighting also lasts much longer than all other lighting technologies. Fluorescent tubes, for instance, will provide around 20,000 hours of illumination before replacement is necessary. Most LED tubes provide about 50,000 hours of reliable illumination – 2.5 times the lifespan of fluorescent. And lighting manufacturers are still unlocking additional reliability from LEDs, so this advantage will likely widen further with time.
• Lower maintenance costs – Lower energy costs and lower replacement costs add up to a major cost efficiency advantage.
• Better lighting control – LED lights are compatible with all modern lighting controls, including dimmers, timers, photocells, and various occupancy sensors. If paired with your LEDs, advanced controls can automate your system so that each fixture is only on when it is actually needed. This has obvious efficiency-first applications, but it can also be used for safety and security reasons. Essentially, smart lighting controls allow companies to unlock the full potential of their LED system, even though they are not necessary for its function.
• Improved performance and productivity – LED lights represent a major performance boost over fluorescent lighting as they are flicker-free, produce more even lighting, and emit across the color spectrum. Fluorescents tend to spike in the green and yellow parts of the emission spectrum, which is why they leave a pallid cast that office workers are deeply familiar with. This poor-quality light can cause headaches and negatively influence well-being.LEDs emit in a pattern more akin to natural sunlight, with colors represented across the spectrum. Humans are better adapted to this emission pattern, so it is not surprising that some LED adopters are reporting improved productivity among their workers. In fact, early research backs this notion up, finding that LED lights often usher in modest productivity improvements that can make a noticeable bottom-line impact.
• Future proofing – With the transition to “green” technologies continuing, businesses are expected to adopt more efficient and more reliable lighting technologies with time. Currently, all roads point to LED lighting in this regard, as incandescent and fluorescent-based lamps are being phased out by government regulators and manufacturers.By integrating LEDs into your facilities, your organization will remain ahead of quickly developing lighting regulations and be better equipped to forecast its future lighting investments.

Retrofit LED Lighting is Also Available for Drop Ceilings

There is a compelling case for integrating LED lights into your facilities, but initial costs may be a concern. Finding budget room for a new lighting system can be a challenge, but businesses are not required to invest in a new system to get started with LED lighting.

LED retrofit lights are a cost-effective alternative to brand new lighting solutions, as they can be plugged into existing fixtures and, in some cases, into existing electrical components like the ballast. In effect, companies can access the benefits of LED lighting technology without committing to full replacement costs.

In offices, retrofit LEDs are typically built to work with tube fixtures, like those found in troffers and panels. Fluorescent tubes have been an office building mainstay for decades. However, fluorescent tubes are steadily being phased out due to efficiency concerns. T12s have already been eliminated from the market, and T8s and T5s are about to follow.

For facilities that relied on fluorescent T12s and T8s to provide sufficient illumination, LED tubes are a near plug-and-play alternative ready for retrofit applications.

Work with a Trusted Lighting Expert When Choosing LED Lighting for Drop Ceilings

LED lighting has never been as accessible and as widely available as it is now. This includes numerous LED lighting options for drop ceilings, including retrofit products that offer the excellent efficiency, reliability, and performance that LED technology is known for.

Since every facility is different, it is highly recommended for organizations to consult with an accomplished LED lighting expert before moving forward on a new (or retrofit) project. By doing so, your lighting professional can assess the building’s existing fixtures and other lighting components, and this information can be used to determine the best LED lighting solutions for your drop ceilings.