Particularly for new construction, lighting parking lots may be a significant and challenging endeavor. This sort of lighting places a high focus on safety and security, and a poorly illuminated parking lot might result in accidents or raise security and safety concerns.
Simple 1:1 conversion projects just need changing the outdated metal halide parking lot lamps with LED ones. How, however, can one establish the pole heights, the pole spacing, or the number of fittings required for a new construction? This design guide for parking lot lighting will clarify some fundamental principles.
Uniformity of Light and Footcandles
A footcandle is a unit of measurement for the amount of light that illuminates a square foot, where one footcandle is equivalent to one lumen.
These foot-candle values for parking lot lighting may range from 0.5 foot candles for a low-activity region of the lot to 5 foot candles for high-activity areas! Generally speaking, a parking lot should have no less than 1 footcandle of consistent illumination, with 2 to 4 footcandles being the best range for visibility.
The amount of light uniformity has a significant impact on the way a parking lot is lighted since more consistent lighting results in a lot that is brighter overall and has greater visibility. It is advised that a normal lot have a uniformity of at least 3:1, which means that the brightest point should not be more than three times as bright as the lot's darkest area in terms of footcandle rating. The light uniformity of LED parking lot lamps is often quite good, although other elements like pole spacing, the amount of bulbs on a pole, and landscaping may have an impact.
Height of poles and the quantity of fixtures per pole
Parking lot pole heights may range from 15 to 40 feet, and these factors, coupled with pole spacing and the amount of lights on each pole, will have a significant impact on the outcome. To provide consistent light distribution around obstacles like trees and buildings, extra fixtures may need to be added to each pole or new poles may need to be erected. The maximum pole height limit may also be governed by local legislation and municipal restrictions, although in general, the bigger the lot, the higher the poles will need to be.
Please be aware that each lot is unique and can need for a different kind of arrangement to provide optimal and uniform lighting throughout. To make it easier to install numerous lamps on a single pole and to increase light uniformity and overall brightness in a parking lot, a range of Parking Lot Pole Mounting Accessories have been created.
