Why are LED street lights a good strategic decision?
When you’re providing critical infrastructure, you need to think long-term. That means selecting products that work together to not only solve for the immediate need of adequate street lighting, but also makes the best use of taxpayer dollars.
LED street lights are the most cost-effective option, because they achieve the brightness you need while using up to 90 percent less energy. They also last significantly longer, with lifespans as much as 25 times longer than their incandescent counterparts.They’re free from mercury and lead, and are less prone to breakage.
In addition to better durability, LED street lights provide higher quality of light, for better visibility and a more beautified community landscape.
Finally, LEDs are by far the most sustainable option for any type of light. You want sustainable street lights, because more and more, local governments are being held accountable to their environmental impact and carbon footprint. Not only that, saving on energy costs demonstrates fiscal responsibility.
What is tool-less design and why is it important?
Tool-less designed street lights are able to be serviced without the use of tools. This is especially important for street lighting, as maintenance often includes climbing to the top of the pole, which creates the risk of technicians dropping tools on pedestrians or cars below. All our street lights have tool-less design.
Do I need DLC 5.1 certified LED street lights?
The DLC 5.1 is a designation from Design Light Consortium (DLC) that covers critical performance metrics of light products, including light output, color temperature, dimmability, and most of the features consumers care about in their lights.
What makes DLC 5.1 street lights especially valuable to local governments, is that they can often help you qualify for rebates from utility companies. This can sometimes earn back a significant portion of your investment, which shows you’re a good steward of taxpayer dollars.
What color temperature should street lights be?
The color temperature of LED street lights is a subjective question. Generally, natural white is a popular choice, because it mimics daylight. However, there may be valid reasons to vary between cool or warm lights, whether it’s to match surrounding light sources or to make a colder climate feel warmer or vice versa. Cool white light is a typical choice for any location that emits light near residential areas, due to medical studies that support the relationship between cooler color temperature and better health outcomes. Tunable LEDs are an excellent option, because it allows municipalities to adapt the color temperature based on the environment or season of the year.
How powerful do street lights need to be?
While related, beam angle and distribution type represent two separate things. Beam angle is fairly simple and represents the raw angle of the light output from the fixture. This can be one number for a largely round or square beam pattern or two numbers for a more rectangular or oval one.
Distribution type is more related to the overall shape (or pattern) of the light output and also has to do with the throw or projection of that pattern from the light source. You can see a more detailed breakdown of different distribution types here. The distribution type is a key factor to consider when planning your lighting design as it will enter into the coverage of your fixtures as well as spillage outside of your property or area you intend to light.
Some parking lot light fixtures also come with additional lenses, which can change the light distribution. Contact our commercial sales team to learn more.
Do I need gray housing on my LED street lights?
Depending on your local codes, you may need to ensure your LED street lights have gray housing. Be sure to look at your city’s requirement guides to learn what regulations exist locally.
Can I use dusk to dawn photocells on street lights to save energy?
The combination of LED street lights and photocells for automated on/off functionality is a powerful one. This is an excellent way to reduce energy use and expenses, and ensure the lights are always on when people need them. Many of our lights also include bypassable photocells, to give you even more control. Talk to our commercial sales team today to learn more about your options.
Does CRI matter for LED street lights?
Coloring Rendering Index (CRI) matters because higher CRI rating means better visibility. Street lights are first and foremost a public safety tool, and being able to see obstacles and accurately assess your surroundings is a critical part of that. More complex, cluttered landscapes and streets need higher CRI LED street lights, to ensure pedestrians and drivers can distinguish between things and confidently navigate the space. When it comes to parking, a higher CRI rating means people can easily spot their car (lower CRI ratings can make each car look gray).
What kind of warranty should I expect?
With an increasingly large number of choices for LED street lights, you want to make sure you’re selecting products you can count on. Because of how much the public cares about street lighting, the quality of your lights is one way you can build trust.
All our street lights come with a 5-year warranty. Not only that, every product we sell has been rigorously tested by our in-house test lab, to ensure you get the quality and performance you’ve been promised.
What if there isn’t enough budget to purchase LED street light fixtures?
Balancing all the needs of your community sometimes means making compromises in order to best serve your stakeholders and citizens. One compromise that can elevate the quality and sustainability of your street lights, with a smaller investment, is retrofitting your existing street lights with LED corn bulbs. LED corn bulbs are an excellent choice for retrofitting existing street light fixtures with
