Outdoor Lighting

Commercial Outdoor Security Lighting

Performance, reliability, and energy efficiency are the key factors in commercial outdoor lighting. These lights are often required to operate smoothly for 365 nights a year. This is especially true for applications such as building exteriors or parking lots. We offer top quality outdoor lighting fixtures that are weather-proof and use cutting-edge LED technology to provide bright energy-efficient illumination to lighting projects of all sizes. Save energy & maintenance costs with our outdoor LED lighting solutions.

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Outdoor Lighting Design

When designing outdoor lighting systems, there are many factors to keep in mind. Due to a wide variance in terrain, landscapes and the intended usage of the area, no two outdoor lighting configurations will be the same. In certain situations, there may be multiple types of fixtures required in order to satisfy the applications foot candle (FC) requirements. Considering this, working with a photometric expert to plan out the lighting configuration is the best bet for ensuring optimal lighting performance.

A photometric plan will be able to take into account mounting height, fixture type and FC requirements in order to select not only the proper fixture wattage but also the number and placement of fixtures in an area. Especially for applications requiring lighting over a large area such as parking lots, these plans can save companies a tremendous amount in both startup and operational costs by maximizing the effectiveness of each fixture's light output. Below is an example of a photometric light plan for a typical parking lot.

Common Outdoor Applications

Building Exteriors - For lighting the immediate areas surrounding buildings, lighting with a wide broad beam pattern is by far the most popular. For this, wall packs, flood lights and canopy lights comprise the vast majority of fixtures used in this application.

Parking Lots - Because parking lots cover vast stretches of land, they require fixtures that produce an intense lumen output with a broad beam to cover as broad of a surface area as possible. For this reason, the overwhelming majority of fixtures used for this application are flood lights, although canopy lights and wall packs are sometimes used in areas where parking lots meet buildings or dividing walls.

Streets & Roadways - For areas with heavy vehicle traffic such as streets and roadways, the most popular choice of fixtures are either street lights or flood lights, depending on the applications FC requirements as well as the end users aesthetic design preferences.

Landscapes - For landscaping applications, the primary purpose of the lighting is to highlight certain features such as trees, bushes and signs. Because of this, smaller floodlights are the primary choice as they take up less space and can be arranged in groups to provide specific lighting effects.

Flagpoles - By far the most popular fixture for this application are flood lights, as they can be mounted near the base of the pole and pointed upwards to illuminate the top of the flagpole. The wattage chosen will depend on the height of the pole itself, with higher wattages being used as the pole height increases.

Signage - Because of their varying shape, size and configuration, signs require a flexible and adaptable light fixture. Floodlights are the most popular type of light for this, as they come in multiple wattages and have different types of mounting options to allow them to be used in all types of sign lighting configurations.

Building Entrances & Exits - Generally speaking, canopy lights and wall packs are the most popular for entrances and exits of buildings. However, other lights such as sconce lights and pole mounted lights are also used around entrances where aesthetics is a priority.

Alleyways & Walkways - For these areas, the most important factor is the spread of the light across a broad area. In these applications, floodlights and pole mounted lights such as corn lamps are the most common type of lighting fixture used, due to their excellent light coverage.

Why Switch To LED Lighting?

There are many reasons to make the switch to LED lighting, especially for outdoor applications. This includes dramatically improved energy efficiency, greater reliability, elimination of regular maintenance and also a much better quality of light which increases visibility and reduces the likelihood of accidents. In fact, the energy savings alone is more than enough to justify upgrading to modern LED lights, especially for large scale applications such as shopping mall parking lots.

To add to the cost savings, these lights require zero regular maintenance, such as changing out bulbs or ballasts/drivers. This not only saves parts costs, it saves labor hours and eliminates down time. With most LED fixtures boasting a 50,000 rated lifespan, they are as close to a set it and forget it option as possible. Additionally, they produce a much higher quality of light, with higher Color Rendering Index (CRI) ratings than traditional lighting technology.

Outdoor Industrial Lighting

Industrial buildings such as warehouses require a reliable source of exterior lighting to ensure visibility and security around the premises. This includes lighting at entrances and exit points as well as general lighting around the perimeter and building exterior. At DTS, we have the necessary products to provide illumination for any indoor or outdoor industrial lighting needs.

Examples of outdoor lighting products for industrial applications include:

LED Floodlights - These highly versatile mounted lighting fixtures can provide security and visibility to the outside of industrial buildings such as perimeter security for warehouses.

Post Lights - Post lighting fixtures can be used for illumination on the exterior of industrial buildings such as warehouses. These can be used to provide light to walkways and other important areas.

LED Wall Packs - Wall packs are mounted on walls and can illuminate details on the exterior of an industrial building such as emergency exits, loading bays, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is outdoor security lighting?
As the name suggests, outdoor security lighting is used to provide illumination and security for outdoor applications. This type of lighting is most necessary for commercial/industrial applications such as parking lots or building exteriors.

Q. What type of lights are used in parking lots?
Parking lots use a pole mounted light that’s specifically designed to provide bright illumination across a wide area. Traditionally, these lights used one of three types of bulbs: high pressure sodium, metal halide, or fluorescent; however, LED parking lot lights are growing in popularity due to their high reliability and eco-friendly nature.

Q. What lights are used for building exteriors?
Building exteriors require various types of lighting depending on their needs. For the purposes of security and general visibility, specific lighting fixtures called wall packs may be mounted on walls of entrances, exits, and other important details on buildings. Another common type of outdoor lighting used are floodlights. These mounted lights are highly versatile and are used to illuminate a specific area around the building. Other methods of exterior lighting may include post lighting for walkways, canopy lighting, etc.

Q. How many lumens do I need for outdoor lighting?
There is a wide range of lumen requirements for various types of lighting, ranging from small, low output flood lights with a 1500 lumen output to stadium lights producing over 50,000 lumens. Because of this, it is important that end users have a minimum foot candle (FC) rating in mind, and work with a photometric expert to select the ideal fixture type, size and configuration for the specific application. This will ensure the most efficient and effective lighting configuration possible.

Q. How to install outdoor lighting?
Depending on the type of fixture you’re using, outdoor lighting can be as simple as following the installation guide that came with the box, or it could be more technical and require someone with electrical expertise to ensure safety while wiring the lights. For instance, landscape lighting such as knuckle mount LED flood lights require hard wiring and specific conduit connectors for proper installation - something best attempted by a trained professional.

Yoke mount flood lights on the other hand are pretty straightforward, requiring minimal mounting effort and very basic wiring skills, which should be within the wheelhouse of your average DIYer. Ultimately, the decision to install yourself or seek out the help of a professional is a judgement call based on your experience and comfort level in both electrical and mechanical skills.

Q. Why use LED lighting?
There are many benefits to using LEDs for outdoor security lighting applications. First off, LEDs provide more energy-efficient than traditional lighting methods. This is important because outdoor lighting is often required to run every single night throughout the year. The improved energy-efficiency can greatly reduce energy costs for a business or municipality. Other benefits of using LED lights include:

• Little to no maintenance costs
• Environmentally friendly
• Less CO2 emissions
• Easy to replace
• Higher quality illumination