Do You Need to Replace Parking Lot Fixtures for LED Lighting?
By Leah • Aug 15, 2019
Outdoor lighting needs to be durable. Even the most pleasant of climates will cause wearing of fixtures which can be difficult and expensive to replace. This fear of having to replace fixtures can cause understandable trepidation for businesses with parking lots or similar outdoor spaces. Here's why there's nothing to fear.
Why Upgrade to LED?
Making the upgrade to LED lighting is an inevitability. While lighting technologies will always progress and develop, the current best overall lighting is LED for simple reasons. LEDs provide better quality light at up to 80% greater efficiency than rival lighting technologies such as halogen bulbs and high intensity discharge lamps.
Greater efficiency means using less energy, in turn meaning less expenditure and relying less on unsustainable energy sources. LEDs are also more adaptable to their environment and provide greater benefit to the human body. In parking lots, the greater color rendering when compared to a high pressure sodium bulb means you can spot your car more easily at night. Use of motion sensors and greater programmability also mean they are safer.
Do I Need New Fixtures?
While the benefits of LED are undeniable, it is understandable a business might be hesitant to make the upgrade. As the technology was being developed, the production costs meant the bulbs were prohibitively expensive. It is a claim some still use against LED technology, but it is no longer applicable when talking about bulb purchases. Production has met up with demand and now they are a competitively affordable option. With government incentives to upgrade to a greener technology, affordability is even greater.
Some are concerned their older fixtures will not accommodate this new technology. It is a reasonable concern, but LED lighting has been created with existing fixture technology in mind. New fixtures may be required in a minority of cases, but this implies the technology would have to be updated eventually anyway. Other fixtures can use direct replacement bulbs which only require to be plugged in and switched on. The rest will be covered by retrofit bulbs.
How Do Retrofits Work?
Retrofit bulbs should come with a retrofit kit. There are many different types of parking lot lighting fixtures. Many are essentially shoebox fittings. This is a design which allows the HID bulb to be installed next to the ballast.
A retrofit of a shoebox light fixture means the metal halide lamp or other type of HID can be removed, along with the ballast. The retrofit kit comes with a bracket which can be easily affixed to the fixture. The LED bulb is then attached to the bracket with an adjustable arm. The bulb is connected to the arm and then fixed on with butterfly screws and other securing methods. The driver is then wired through the housing and attached to the LED.
Installing a retrofit is something anyone can learn, but it is best done by an electrician. While this may add some cost to installation, it is cheaper than installing new fixtures and it will still provide more benefits in the long-run.
One of our best LED lamps for parking lot lighting is the OEO GREEN LED RETROFIT. It can save up to 70% on energy costs, has outstanding brightness and color rendering and has universal mounting which means it can fit on any parking lot light fixture. Read on to discover even more benefits.