Visitors, potential customers, and employees should feel safe while shopping, parking for an event, going to the beach, or even going to work. Outside areas can see a huge reduction or even elimination of many hazards by simply updating the lighting in the space.
Lack of visibility is the leading cause of crime in outdoor spaces, little to no active security patrols and unlit or low-lit areas contribute heavily to this. Cameras are not able to distinguish images properly in dark or poorly lit areas. We recommended to have motion or occupancy sensors connected to any outdoor lighting, the instant-on flash acts as a deterrent and illuminates the area to sufficiently capture images or video.
Accidents are another concern with inadequate lighting, and with accidents comes liability. Property owners and managers can reduce the risk of associated with their location by ensuring all areas are properly illuminated.
We have compiled a list of the potential dangers associated with a dark outdoor space:
- Car accidents
Whether it be colliding with another car, an object, or a pedestrian; the odds of a vehicle crash are much higher if the drivers are unable to properly see. Adding LED fixtures whether on poles throughout the area or directly on the building, will increase visibility.
- Crime
The inability to detect movement due to lack of light allows for potential criminals to hide and move around unseen. With adequate light in every corner of the property, the safety and security of all parties will be increased.
Additionally, car thefts and break-ins are statistically higher in poorly lit areas. To resolve this, both the type of lighting and the overall lighting design should be addressed
- Personal injury incidents
Other hazardous areas of the property could include uneven ground, protruding manholes or other obstructions. These have the potential to injure unsuspecting visitors, unless properly illuminated. Save yourself the liability and heartache.
Benefits of LED Lighting
Those who maintain and outdoor space may find the following information on the benefits of LED interesting.
LED lighting is recommended as it provides consistent lumen output throughout its entire lifespan. Traditional lighting, such as metal halide, provide much less light as they near the end of their lifespan. While LED does slowly depreciate in light output, it is much slower and overall keeps a greater volume of the light output.
Here are some other benefits that you will realize by converting to LED lights:
- Less energy usage
LEDs are the most efficient lighting technology to date. Large light fixtures, like those found in parking lots, typically produce a high number of lumens – which in turn increases the number of watts consumed. LED consumes much less wattage to achieve the same, if not better, light (lumen) output. In fact, the reduction in energy could be as high as 75%!
- Longer lifespan
Parking lot light fixtures are often mounted on poles or the sides of a building, 20-30 ft up in most cases. Maintenance and replacements of traditional lighting options can become a hefty expense. LED offers 2-3 times longer lifespans, which will decrease the amount of replacement lights and annual maintenance costs.
- Lower lumen depreciation
As mentioned earlier, lumen depreciation is an especially important topic with traditional Metal Halide and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) lighting. Near the end of a Metal Halide or HPS light’s life, the lumen output will be roughly 50% of the original light.
LED lights only lose up to 15% of the original light output. When thinking in terms of outdoor spaces, under lit areas are much less likely when the light fixtures are using LED technology.
These are only a few of the many benefits of LED Lights, but these are certainly the main ones that most that those with outdoor areas had concern with.
