Warehouse LED Lighting

OEO is the leading provider of LED Warehouse lighting and our products cover a wide variety of requirements. As you consider a LED lighting upgrade in your warehouse or distribution center, don’t hesitate to reach out for advice. Check out our LED Lighting Retrofit Guide to assess how to approach your lighting project. Relamping existing metal halide, high pressure sodium, and fluorescent T5 lamps to LED is often the fastest and easiest way to upgrade traditional lighting to LED. Consider whether a LED lamp retrofit or new LED fixtures is your best option.

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Common Considerations

When selecting LED lighting for your warehouse, consider both the immediate costs and long-term energy savings, ensuring that your choice aligns with both budget and performance requirements. It’s essential to evaluate factors like energy efficiency, fixture lifespan and lifecycle cost, and ongoing maintenance needs. Below we discuss common considerations such as: lighting objectives, operating environment and ambient temperatures, mounting height, line voltage, new fixtures vs. existing fixture retrofit, network lighting controls, and more.

Lighting Objective

Your primary lighting objectives should focus on enhancing visibility for safety and productivity, while also considering energy efficiency to reduce operationing costs. Effective lighting solutions not only illuminate your space but also contribute to a safer and more efficient work environment. Consider the wattage and lumen package necessary to meet your ideal lighting goals or footcandle targets. Choose the right color temperature (measured in Kelvin) for your environment. A color temperature of 5000K is commonly used for warehouse lighting applications as it provides a bright, daylight-like quality that enhances visibility.

Operating Environment

Assess the specific environmental conditions of your warehouse, such as humidity, dust levels, and temperature extremes and select LED fixtures or LED retrofit lamps that are designed to withstand these conditions. Choosing the right LED ensures longevity and reliability, preventing frequent replacements and unnecessary maintenance cost. LED lifecycle is typically calculated while operating in a clean environment at 70F, selecting the right LED for your appplication is critical in order to maximize results. 

Mounting Height

Mounting height is critical in planning warehouse lighting; higher ceilings require more powerful lights for adequate illumination, while lower ceilings might benefit from lights with broader dispersion or a wider beam angle. Properly assessing the mounting height and beam angle of your new LEDs will help achieve uniform light distribution, minimizing dark spots and glare.

Enclosed vs. Open Fixtures

Opt for enclosed fixtures in environments prone to dust, debris, or moisture to protect the internal components of your lighting, thereby enhancing durability and performance. In contrast, open fixtures may be suitable for cleaner areas where they can operate at lower temperatures due to better air circulation. If you have enclosed fixtures and are selecting a LED retrofit lamp, it's critical to check the product specification to ensure that it's rated for enclosed vs. open fixtures.

Line Voltage

Ensure that the line voltage of your warehouse matches the requirements of the LED lighting products you choose to avoid the need for additional electrical upgrades and to ensure optimal light performance. Compatibility with existing line voltage can significantly streamline installation and reduce initial setup costs. "Standard" line voltages in the United States is typically 120-277V, while high voltage environments fall in the 347-480V range.

Retrofit vs. New Fixtures

Consider retrofitting existing fixtures with LED lamp technology as a cost-effective solution that minimizes disruption in your warehouse, especially if the existing housings and ballasts are still functional. Whether replacing metal halide, high pressure sodium or fluorescent T5 lamps, a LED lamp retrofit is often the fastest and easiest way to upgrade your inefficient, legacy lighting systems to LED. Our LED lamp technology is engineered to be either ballast compatible (works with your existing ballast), ballast bypass (works on direct line voltage 120-277V), or hybrid (works both with your ballast AND on direct line voltage).  Sometimes, however, investing in new LED fixtures may be a good option for maximizing energy efficiency and performance with the latest technology.

Network Lighting Controls

Incorporating network lighting controls allows for centralized management of your lighting system, enabling you to adjust settings based on operating schedules and time of day, motion sensors a.k.a. occupancy sensors, zone grouping and controls, dimming, and other factors to maximize energy savings. This technology not only reduces costs but also enhances the adaptability of your lighting system to meet changing needs. Many network lighting control systems operating on a Bluetooth mesh network, eliminating cumbersome rewiring thus making implementation fast and simple.

Occupancy Sensors (Motion Control)

Consider equipping your warehouse with occupancy or motion sensors to ensure that lights are only on when needed, significantly reducing energy waste and extending the life of your LEDs. These sensors can detect activity within certain areas, automatically adjusting lighting levels which helps in maintaining optimal illumination only when and where it is required.

Warehouse LED Lighting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The recommended lighting for a warehouse depends on several factors, such as layout and area, warehouse activities, mounting height, and operating environment. Regardless, LED lighting is the most energy efficient and durable lighting available in the marketplace today. Generally speaking, warehouse spaces should be illuminated to a minimum of 10 footcandles for general usage and safety. Refer to our "footcandle lighting guide" for more information.

Absolutely! We carry a variety of mogul base LED lamps and LED T5 lamps that are designed to replace traditional metal halide, high pressure sodium, and fluorescent T5 lamps. The benefit of a LED bulb is that it makes your upgrade to LED as simple as "changing a light bulb".

Replacing your existing metal halide, high pressure sodium, or T5 fluorescent bulbs with LEDs is often the fastest and simplest way to upgrade to energy efficient, LED lighting. However, for those who desire an entirely new look, then replacing your existing fixtures with new, integrated LED luminaires is a good option. Our team is happy to review your needs and offer suggestions and options for your lighting upgrade.

This depends on many factors, such as warehouse activities, mounting height, fixture spacing, beam angle, and desired light levels. We generally recommend evenly space LED lamps or luminaires to provide at least 20,000 lumens if mounted at 20' to 25'. Of course, lumen requirements will adjust upward or downward depending on the types of activities performed in the space. Our team is happy to provide a photometric plan, which will show you exactly how many fixtures you need for your space to achieve a desired light level.

The recommended lighting for a warehouse depends on several factors, such as layout and area, warehouse activities, mounting height, and operating environment. Generally speaking, warehouse spaces should be illuminated to a minimum of 10 footcandles for general usage and safety. Refer to our "footcandle lighting guide" for more information.

The best color temperature for warehouse lighting is between 4000K and 5000K, which is a clean white light. This range helps improve visibility and productivity while reducing eyestrain. It can also promote alertness and efficiency, and help workers avoid mistakes by making it easier to see shelves and labels.

A good rule of thumb is to space your LED lights less than the mounted height. So if you have a ceiling that allows for a 15 foot mounting height, you should space your lights between 12-15 feet apart. At 20 feet high, you can space LEDs 16-20 feet apart while using higher lumen output lighting. Ultimately, our team can create a photometric plan of your space and show you exactly how many lights you need to achieve your lighting goals.

LED Lighting - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Almost all of our LED lighting products are rated to last well over 50,000 hours with some rated over 100,000 hours. If you operate 24 hours per day 365 days per year, that's 8,760 hours per year. A LED rated for 50,000 hours should last well over 5.70 years. If operating 12 hours per day, a LED rated for 50,000 hours should last well over 11 years.

Absolutely! LED lighting is more energy efficient than traditional lighting and typically requires one third of the power used by traditional light sources. Some LEDs use up to 90% less energy than traditional bulbs, while providing the same brightness! This can translate into a 68% to 90% savings in energy cost.

Since LEDs use significantly less power to produce the same brightness as traditional lighting, they can save you upto 90% in energy costs. Additionally, LEDs can last up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent, HID, or fluorescent bulbs, or between 50,000 and 100,000 hours, which is over 11 years of continuous use. This can lead to significant savings on maintenance and operations costs.

Yes, LED lights produce a higher quality of light than traditional light sources. LEDs emit a clean, consistent light that does not flicker or buzz like fluorescent or HID bulbs, and they don't need to warm up time and cool down times (making them instant on/off). LEDs also produce brighter, more uniform light, which is useful in any application.

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