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There are a few basic factors to keep in mind when planning outdoor lighting for a commercial site. The first of these might be efficiency, since business costs are always at the top of the priority list. Achieving efficiency with commercial outdoor lighting is not necessarily easy but it is certainly possible with a bit of careful shopping. It’s always important to ask the right questions as well.
Commercial outdoor lighting has to be durable, of course. It must stand up to weather changes, often extremes of heat and cold. For this reason, commercial outdoor lighting is not always the most beautiful of the structures associated with a business. However, in recent years manufacturers have been able to combine appearance with utility to create some excellent commercial outdoor lighting fixtures. An example might be the brushed stainless steel or die cast aluminum housings for canopies, outdoor waiting areas and building eaves where security is the primary goal. Entry lights is one area where some effort has been put into appearance. Many commercial buildings can use cylinder, glass globe and even post lantern lights to provide illumination and a sense of safety. Many of these are available in flat black, antique brass, brushed nickel and other styles that are pleasing to the eye. Motion detector light fixtures for commercial use are not intended to add a lot to building design, as their purpose is to protect the property. Even these are now available in colors other than steel gray. White enamel, black enamel and nickel finishes have been added to give these utilitarian lights a nicer appearance. Lighting manufacturers have also started to give some attention to the efficiency of their lights and to the subject of light pollution. Night-sky friendly lights that do not “leak” their light upwards now light many commercial parking areas and loading areas. In fact, the newest types of commercial outdoor lighting ensure that nearly 100% of the light remains below the horizontal lines of the shade or light shield. One company has combined this with sleek, architectural design to make an efficient outdoor light for commercial use that is also pleasing to the eye. For those who wish to stay with the most traditional outdoor lights, the basic single bulb or globe is still available, though incandescent and fluorescent light makes up less and less of commercial outdoor lighting. With an eye to energy savings, even the most traditional-looking commercial outdoor lighting makes maximum use of the light from new types of bulbs. |
Lighting Types and Bulbs