Post top lights are outdoor lighting fixtures designed to provide illumination for pedestrians and vehicles. They are usually installed on poles on roads, roads, parking lots, education and commercial campuses. Since the installation height of the lamps is 10-20 feet, these lamps are designed to provide high-quality visual information, so that pedestrians and drivers can easily navigate at night. In addition to providing controlled and uniform lighting to ensure safety and enhance visibility, they also serve as the highest feature of any outdoor streetscape, parking lot or landscape. Sometimes they are referred to as decorative installations that contribute to the aesthetic success and visual appeal of streetscapes or landscapes.
Structure, Design, and Layout
These pole lighting devices are located on a standard pole, but may include a pole, base and lamps (if it is newly installed). Between the column and the foundation, the base provides a clean and firm connection. The typical design is a flip cover, making it easy to access the wires and internal base mounting hardware. The base and pillars can be made of aluminum, fiberglass, wood, concrete or steel. However, aluminum is commonly used due to its complex characteristics and geometric shapes. Usually, the base is constructed of heavy cast aluminum and can contain decorative elements to help build a theme or complement the surrounding buildings.
At the base, the casting has a fairly large size, which can highlight the material and strength in the field design, and at the same time can accommodate the ballast/drive assembly for easy maintenance. Smooth and straight rods are usually produced from steel rods or extruded aluminum. In most cases, the poles are tapered or grooved and look like sculptures. Using anchor bolts, the rod assembly is connected to the concrete foundation. The emergence of LED technology has changed the design concept expressed by the fixture.
Lamps are key functional parts and design elements, which allow you to add styles to a variety of different external spaces. In the design of the lamp on the top of the pole, aesthetics is the most important thing. Combining the continuous design of the base and the light pole, Art Deco, Victorian, Mediterranean, contemporary colonial and modern styles are integrated into the design of these lights to create a focal point.
Where to Use Post Top Lights?
For direct luminaires, the installation height is generally limited to 8 meters (26 feet) or less. (The above LED shoe box style is better and brighter) For indirect lamps, it can be used as an alternative installation solution for arm lamps. Usually, they are installed in parking lots (away from the surroundings). The top of the column provides a uniform light distribution, even an asymmetrical distribution is available. For direct pole top lamps, optical control can be achieved by using reflectors and refractors. These LED ceiling lights are ideal;
- Lighting parking areas of shopping centers,
- Churches, plazas and parks,
- Historic urban settings,
- Buildings, entrances, and pathways
- General lighting around institutional, commercial, and multi-residential buildings.
Common Shape and Sizes
The design of the lamp at the top of the lamp post is a smooth dome profile, giving the lamp a smooth appearance. In addition to aesthetics, the design is also functionally important because it has a self-cleaning geometry that prevents debris from accumulating. The durable shell is made of high-strength die-cast aluminum alloy. Then, it is painted with a color retention, long-lasting thermosetting powder coating to complete the chromate conversion to prevent corrosion.
The aluminum housing maintains high thermal conductivity and good thermal emissivity. The tempered glass lens is sealed on the lamp housing, and the whole piece of vulcanized silicone gasket is used, so the dirt depreciation of the optical components is minimal, and the waterproof performance is superior. Due to the performance of IP66 and IK09, the luminaire has strong protection against moisture and mechanical shock. Therefore, optical and electronic components can work even under extreme environmental conditions. Lamps have different shapes, including square, bulb, rectangle, tube, and spherical.
It is necessary to consider the size of the lamp post. Although the big one is obvious, the small one easily blends into the landscape. When you want a product that is easy to install, you need to consider the size of the lamp post. Also, consider where you want to install the lights. Therefore, consider the surface, location, and other types. Many lamp posts are 4 inches x 4 inches in size. Some models are 6 inches x 6 inches and 10 inches x 10 inches. So, look at the area you can free up for installation, and then choose the right column light.
Common Kelvin
Choosing the ideal LED ceiling light for your space is beyond the size and luminaire you need. The right color temperature (in Kelvin) is essential for the right atmosphere. The color temperature range is 2300K-6000K. Low Kelvin light produces the warmest light, and high Kelvin light produces the coolest and brightest light. There are different options for the rear top color temperature, including 3000K, 4000K and 5000K. 5000K is an ideal substitute for metal halides and the most common options. In addition, 4000K is a select state that requires a slightly warmer light.
Color temperature (CT) lighting tips-the landscape of your commercial or residential property looks wonderful during the day, and you need to keep it beautiful when the sun goes down. The slightly colder ct is used to highlight plants in the landscape (3000K-4000K). For the popular moonlight effect, 4000K is very similar to the color of natural moonlight.
What are some common issues with conventional decorative post top lights?
All HID lamps have some inherent characteristics that can lead to issues for those managing the exterior lighting applications.
Energy Costs
The wattage of ordinary (HID) lamps used for decorative area lighting devices range from 100 watts to 250 watts. The higher the wattage, the higher the light output. The lighting function of the area, combined with the number, spacing and installation height of the poles and the existing wattage of the fixtures to play a role, make use of. For a standard street or campus, the annual electricity cost of multiple 100w or 250w HID lamps (very common ceiling lamp wattage) is between US$6,300 and US$15,700.
Maintenance Costs
Like most outdoor lighting applications, maintenance costs are often a big problem for the fixings on the top of the HID decorative column. In addition to potential lamp life issues, pole top lights are usually installed on poles over 10 feet, usually requiring the use of bucket trucks or elevators to replace lights or ballasts. Many municipalities, campuses, and facility management companies do not have bucket trucks or elevators, so they have to hire external contractors to maintain these equipment. These costs will accumulate in a few years. In three years, the labor and material cost of maintaining a ceiling light is as high as $1,120.
Lighting Performance
Depending on the type of HID lamp used in your device, the performance characteristics of your decorative column top lamps will be very different. For example, if you are using a metal halide lamp, you may see whiter light, but these types of lamps tend to accelerate lumen degradation, which means that the light output of the lamp drops rapidly after the initial installation. Therefore, the lamp The overall life expectancy will be shortened (we have all seen those decorative street light installations, their “pink” lights can hardly provide any lighting for the ground). If you are using a high-pressure sodium lamp, you may see a longer “useful” life, because these lamps have less lumen degradation than metal halide lamps, but their fuel structure produces a very “orange” light, color rendering The index is very low. So basically you use a longer lifespan for the poorer quality light, as far as the visual angle is concerned.
What are the Benefits of Outdoor LED Post Top Lights?
Outdoor LED lighting, such as fixtures at the top of LED lamp posts, provide some excellent benefits for sidewalks or paths that need to be illuminated because of the way they generate and distribute light. Light-emitting diodes generate light through semiconductors instead of consuming the “fuel source” like HID lamps. Regarding “distribution” lamps, LED luminaires usually use “multi-point” light sources, which means that the lamp has multiple diodes and separate optics. When you compare it with the way most HID fixtures distribute light (there is only a bulb and reflector in the fixture), the result is that the light is “distributed” more evenly in a given area.
The three most common benefits of LED post top lights:
Energy Savings
Common wattages for LED post top lights can range from 25 watts to 106 watts, often resulting in a 35%-80% reduction in energy consumption. The reason for this can be attributed to the GENERATION comments above, and can result in savings of up $800 per fixture per year in electricity costs
Maintenance Cost Reduction
Similarly, due to the way LEDs emit light, their service life is very different. The light output produced by the LED drops very slowly over time, instead of stopping normal operation when the fuel source is significantly reduced. Therefore, the service life of LED products (usually more than 100,000 hours) can be significantly longer than HID lamps, which in turn greatly reduces the cost of maintaining the top luminaires of the poles in a longer period of time.
Lighting PerformanceNext is the way the LED lamps distribute light. As a result of the multi-point design, the lighting application at the top of the LED lamp post usually provides a very uniform light pattern. This means that on a given surface, the light level will vary less with the distance to the pole or the fixture. Compared with HID lamps, the latter usually produces a “bright spot” directly below the lamp. As the distance from the lamp pole increases, the brightness of the lamp will drop sharply. As a result, in LED vs. HID, there is a more even foot candle distribution from LED conversion. In addition to the uniform distribution of light, LEDs also have a certain color temperature range, so a series of options are provided to increase the visual perception of “brightness”.