How Shoebox Parking lights Save Energy
Shoebox Parking lights such as poles and floodlights require a lot of money to operate.
The high cost is because they will be on most of the night, which has earned them the name, always-on lighting.
However, Shoebox Parking lights can help to reduce this cost substantially, and as such, they are the best types of lights for illuminating large spaces for a long time.
These lights can be beneficial to both manufacturers, facility managers, and building owners in terms of reducing maintenance costs, saving energy, and improving environmental sustainability.
Bright LED lights for parking lots have also become an essential part of our landscape since they affect the places we visit or work.
While they illuminate the space to provide clear visibility, they also make employees, customers, visitors, and passers-by feel safe.
That being the case, there are several ways Shoebox Parking lights have been able to save energy for buildings that have adopted its use.
Shoebox Parking light
Shoebox Parking lights are available in a variety of fixtures, including area lights for outdoor parking lots and wraparound light fixtures for indoor parking lots.
They can be used in the parking lots of factories, warehouses, parks, hospitals, apartment buildings, etc. for branding, site aesthetics, and to ensure customer safety.
These lights are widely known to be the most energy-efficient bulbs in comparison to traditional lighting technology.
They save energy consumption by 75% in commercial properties that use them, which has brought about the prevalence of LED technology over inefficient outdoor lighting systems.
Shoebox Parking lights provide illumination for vehicles and pedestrians, and they are available in different fixture shapes, sizes, and designs such as concrete, aluminum, fiberglass, and wood.
This diversification enables them to be classified as lighting for parking garages or canopies.
LEDs in themselves, are semiconductors that emit visible light as a result of the passage of electric current.
Now, let’s take a look at each:
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LEDs’ Less Power Wattage:
Shoebox Parking light has a wattage between 40 watts to 600 watts.
However, the HID Shoebox Parking light’s wattage goes as high as 400 watts to 1000 watts.
Metal halide and High-pressure sodium Shoebox Parking lights also feature wattages between 250 watts and 1000 watts.
Coupled with this high energy consumption, they still need their voltage and current to be regulated using ballasts.
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LEDs Provide Higher Quality Light:
LEDs tend to consume less than half the electrical energy used by conventional lighting systems, yet they still generate higher-quality light
While an LED’s wattage is lower, these bulbs are still able to provide bright enough light for the spaces they illuminate.
At the same time, they use less amount of energy in comparison to High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps that were once a popular type of light.
What this means is that migration from HID to LED could help a facility reap a 40%-60% reduction in its energy consumption.
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LEDs Ability to Save Electrical Cost:
The dollar value savings achieved through the use of LEDs would be close to $300 if not more for each light fixture in a facility, yearly.
If the parking lot is large and more LEDs are used, the electricity costs can be significantly reduced as well.
Thus, these benefits have been one of the main drivers for business owners who switch to commercial parking lot lighting fixtures.
The Department of Energy estimated in April 2014 that building owners spend over $6 billion a year to light their parking lots and garages.
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Luminous Efficiency (Efficacy) of the LEDs
Luminous efficacy is the ratio of the light output produced (luminous flux) by a light source to the power it consumes.
The same goes for the security cameras that will need to monitor the state of things which can only be made possible if the area is well illuminated.
These benefits and many more are what Shoebox Parking light can provide, and if you’re a manufacturer or business owner, serious thought should be given to using LED light fixtures as a replacement in your facility.
It’s even better to know that every year, you can reduce the electricity cost by providing sufficient light for your parking space hence, what’s saved can be put to better use.
That being the case, you can still maintain strict lighting standards while at the same time ensuring that you do not break your bank thanks to the energy efficiency of the Shoebox Parking light.
What Are LED Shoebox Parking lights?
LED Shoebox Parking lights are outdoor pole-mounted fixtures designed to light up parking lots and other large areas. They focus all their lights downwards and are equipped with optics to distribute the light away from the pole.
Some Shoebox Parking lights can be equipped with a photocell for true dusk to dawn operations. Others can be equipped with a motion sensor to allow the fixture to dim when no movement is detected, which can be a great cost savings addition.
Where Are Shoebox Parking light Used?
Shoebox lights are used exclusively outdoors, and primarily in parking lots mounted on poles from 15 to 40 feet high. It’s typical to see 1, 2, and 4 Shoebox Parking lights mounted on a single pole in a parking lot.
What Are the Benefits of LED Shoebox Parking light?
LED Shoebox Parking lights are the replacement of choice for metal halide. You should see an instant deduction in your lighting bill between 50 -80% over metal halide. The light source is of a higher quality than most metal halide fixtures. Plus, their lifespan is much longer than that of metal halides, so maintenance costs should go down substantially once you convert to using LEDs.
What’s the Difference Between Shoebox Parking light and Shoebox Parking light?
The difference is subtle. Shoebox Parking lights are typically installed in a parking lot, but you can also install them on sport courts, tennis courts, or outdoor areas that need light.
Parking lots’ primary source of light is a shoebox light, but not exclusively so. There are times when a floodlight is a good option to light up a parking lot or wall packs mounted on exterior walls of buildings adjacent to the parking lot.
What Are the Differences Between Shoebox Parking light and Flood Lights?
The main difference is that Shoebox Parking lights are designed to be mounted at the top of a pole and all its light is directed downwards, using optics to distribute the light. Floodlights are also mounted high, on poles or buildings, but their light is angled to specific locations in a parking lot.
Floodlights usually have wide or narrow beam patterns, whereas Shoebox Parking lights are equipped with street light optics (Types 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5).
BEFORE YOU BUY
I Want to Replace MyShoebox Parking light. Is it Best to Replace Some or All of Them?
There are many ways to answer this question:
Are your fixtures in good condition and waterproof? You may want to consider retrofitting them as an option (this is a good choice for an expensive fixture where you want to keep the existing aesthetics the fixture provides).
If the fixtures are old, then replacing them is the best option. LED shoebox fixtures are much smaller than their metal halide counterparts, and are less ‘boxy’. They are typically bronze in color (other color options are available), so they should blend in nicely with existing poles.
The main reason to replace existing lights with LEDs is cost savings. So if some of the lights are old and failing, it may make sense to replace them all at the same time. ROI’s are short with LED, so you can expect the expense of replacing the lights to be quickly recovered with the lower lighting bills.
What Light Patterns Are Available with LED Shoebox Fixtures?
Shoebox fixtures are available with standardized “Type” Light patterns, Types 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The two most common are Types 3 and 5. Type 3 is the best option when installed on the boundaries of a parking lot. It is a forward throw light pattern that throws the light forward and left and right.
Type 5 is a great choice for the center of the parking lot.
What Mounting Options Do You Have?
The main mounting options are:
Slip fitter
Trunnion or Yoke
Straight arm for round or square poles or wall mount.
How Many Lumens Do I Need When Replacing My OldShoebox Parking light?
To replace 400 Watt Metal Halide, consider fixtures between 15,000 and 25,000 (LED) lumens. To replace 1000 Watt Metal Halide, look for LED fixtures producing 40,000 to 55,000 (LED) lumens.
Ultimately, the real answer lies in performing a shoebox lighting plan for your parking lot or large area – which we provide for free.
The following outlines the lumens you will require to replace your old shoebox. The actual amount will depend on the mounting height and the amount of light you require.
250 Watt Metal Halide 9,000 – 12,000 LED lumens
400 Watt Metal Halide 15,000 – 25,000 LED lumens
1000 Watt Metal Halide 39,000 – 50,000 LED lumens
What Control Options Do You Have?
The two main control options are photocells and motion sensors. Many sites do however have pre-installed timers and can continue to use these with their new LED fixtures.
Photocells turn the light on at dusk and off at dawn. Or many sites have timers already installed that control all the fixtures. The fixture must be installed with a 3-pin NEMA socket if you want to use a photocell. We have fixtures that come reinstalled with the Photocell.
Motion sensors detect motion. They will turn the light to full power when motion is detected or dim/turn off when no motion is detected. To dim, the fixture needs to have a dimmable driver. A motion sensor also provides dusk and off at dawn control. A photocell is not needed when using a motion sensor.
How Many Shoebox Parking lights Do I Need?
In most cases when you replace older show boxes it is a 1 for 1 replacement. You usually replace a 400 Watt Metal Halide with a 150W LED and a 1000W MH with a 300W LED. If you want more light or the site is new or changing, then we recommend you request a lighting plan to select the proper fixture option.
How Quickly Can You Ship To My Location?
We have lots of shoebox inventory in our Nashua NH warehouse, as well as in other warehouses located strategically across the United States. We can typically have lights arriving within 6 business days or less after the order is processed.
Does It Come With a Photocell?
Yes, it is an option on most fixtures.
FIXTURES AND FITTINGS
What Are the Best Applications of Shoebox Parking light?
The best and most common applications we commonly see of Shoebox Parking lights are:
Parking lots
Tennis courts
Pickleball courts
Basketball courts
Sport courts
How Do You Update Shoebox Fixtures to Led Lights?
Our Shoebox Parking lights are all designed to replace 150 Watt to 1500 Watt metal halide Shoebox Parking light – 1 for 1. The process consists of removing and replacing the lights. Or, in case you have a fixture you want to keep, you can retrofit it with one of our retrofit kits designed to replace all the lighting components of 250 Watt, 400 Watt, and 1000 Watt metal halide inside the fixture.
Establishment
How Do You Install Shoebox Parking light?
There is no contrast between introducing a drove Shoebox Parking light and a metal halide Shoebox Parking light. Commonly a certified electrical expert that approaches a blast truck or lift is employed, and they go through the method involved with eliminating and supplanting the lights. As a result of the statures in question, it is ideal to utilize a certified electrical expert for this cycle.
How Do You Layout Shoebox Parking light?
We do this for nothing.
Supply us with a site plan, or give us the Google map directions, and we can show your space inside our lighting programming and furnish you with a shoebox lighting design for your space.