Do your parking lot light fixtures keep dipping further and further into your wallet? You’re not alone.
Many traditional lighting poles are equipped with high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting fixtures. While these lights are your run-of-the-mill parking lot lighting choice, often cheaper to buy HIDs can become bigger money-suckers than other slightly more expensive, energy-efficient options.
Out of all the choices for upgrading those parking lights, we stand behind light-emitting diodes (LEDs)— and we want to share why.
In this blog, we’ll be outlining six huge reasons to retrofit your parking lot lights with LED lights, because replacing your current fixtures with these bulbs means:
- Less energy usage
- Lower electricity bills
- Improved after-business-hours safety
- Controlled signage promotion
- Longer-lasting bulbs
- Fewer maintenance woes
Let’s look at the facts behind each of these advantages to convince you to make the smarter switch, today.
1 & 2: You can reduce your business’ energy usage & save on that outrageous electric bill.
You don’t need us to tell you how expensive your lot’s high-intensity discharge (HID) lights can be. We know that blasting those powerhouses every night can really add up on your electric bill— our clients have shown us the statements! These crazy costs are because your lower-grade bulbs are not energy-efficient and take a lot of power to operate. Unlike LEDs, HIDs use a ballast which really sucks up energy.
Energy.gov reviewed 12 different bulbs, including HIDs, to see how they compared to LEDs’ energy savings and found that LEDs boast lower operating costs and better reliability and performance. Even if your lot is lit with incandescent bulbs with motion-sensing controls— often viewed as a step up in energy-efficiency than HIDs— they still can’t hold a candle to ENERGY STAR-rated LEDs. This is especially true for LED lot lights with smartphone dimmer controls, granting you full power over your brightness and timing… not to mention awareness of your day-to-day energy usage to make active adjustments and better control your electric costs.
While retrofitting your HIDs to LEDs can range from $150 to $300 per HID fixture, according to The Department of Energy, it could be many years until a replacement is needed. Many businesses have been shocked to find that switching from HIDs to LEDs slashed their electricity bill in half. That’s month-after-month of significantly lower electric bills, helping you to save money in the long run.
3 & 4: LED-brightened lots improve safety & brand promotion after hours.
Bad actors are more willing to get into mischief if they are hidden in a cloak of darkness, knowing it makes it harder to spot a crime in action or catch the criminals involved. While your HIDs are certainly better than nothing, these parking lot lights only focus on one area and often produce a more uneven light than LEDs. LEDs are directional, meaning you can point them exactly where you want, spotlighting your doorway or other important areas with confidence.
Not only may LEDs reduce crime around your business, but they also make it a safer place for customers or employees after hours— helping to avoid trip-and-fall lawsuits and lighting exit routes, should visitors need to run from a threat. To boot, LEDs have a higher color-rendering index (CRI) than HIDs, more accurately revealing the true colors of objects, people, and surroundings. Higher-rated CRI lights are said to create better visibility.
Plus, who doesn’t want to promote their business at any opportunity they get? Illuminate your signage after hours to show off your branding with brighter, whiter LEDs. By choosing ones with dimmable and programmable timing options, you can create the perfect balance from dusk till dawn.
5 & 6: You can invest in a longer-lasting bulb & reduce maintenance burdens.
Tired of hiring someone to replace your parking light bulbs every year or two? The reason that HIDs fritz out so often is because they rely on outdated components, using gas and evaporated salts to produce a chemical reaction. This type of bulb loses a lot of energy in heat emissions, which when trapped in a weather-protective cover can cause degradation of the bulb itself over time.
In contrast, parking lot LED bulbs operate on modern semiconductor technology and have the least heat-emitting waste of any bulb on the market, helping them to light consistently and brightly over longer stretches of time. They’re also designed to withstand extreme temperatures and fluctuations, making them a great outdoor bulb for Florida businesses.
In fact, the average lifespan of today’s typical LED parking lot light is approximately 50,000 hours, often translating into over 10+ years of usage for many businesses. That’s right— 10 or more years. That’s approximately three times longer than HID bulbs. Stop unnecessarily paying for an electrician to haul their utility truck over and fiddle with their lift to replace those bulbs every year. Invest in an LED retrofitting, promised to last a decade or more!
In addition to lasting longer, LED light fixtures typically weigh less than HID alternatives. This may seem irrelevant, but the extra weight of HIDs requires better reinforcement for your light poles, and over time can weaken your pole’s sturdiness or be more costly to anchor. Considering the SWFL winds during hurricane season, this is an added headache you don’t need.
Parking Lot LED Retrofitting with SWFL Electric
Convinced that upgrading your HIDs or incandescent parking lot lights to energy-efficient, brighter LEDs is worth the investment?
We agree! Let’s chat about your parking lot light replacement.
Fill out the form on our Commercial Lighting page or give us a call at 239-307-0716 to get a complimentary quote, today.
