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Outdoor Lighting
CHAPTER 17
After the sun sets, life goes on. Shipping, maintenance and
mat eri al s handl i ng operat i ons oft en cont i nue i n out door l oca-
tions long into the night, and effective outdoor lighting can
enhance the productivity of these activities. As daylight van-
ishes, the potential for accidents and crime increases. There-
fore, conservation efforts directed toward outdoor lighting
systems should not sacrifice productivity or safety.
OUTDOOR LIGHTING UPGRADE GOALS
Every outdoor lighting upgrade should satisfy each of these goals:
Deliver the light level needed to provide adequate security, safety
and product i vi t y.
Mi ni mi ze vi sual fat i gue by mai nt ai ni ng rel at i vel y uni form l i ght
l evel s and cont rol l i ng gl are, part i cul arl y i n appl i cat i ons i nvol v-
i ng vehi cl e use. The human eye i s easi l y fat i gued when i t must
cont i nual l y adapt t o di fferi ng degrees of bri ght ness. In some
cases, di rect gl are can severel y reduce vi si bi l i t y, i ncreasi ng t he
ri sk of acci dent s.
Sel ect l i ght sources t hat provi de t he appropri at e col or renderi ng
performance. In act i vi t i es such as mat eri al s handl i ng and out -
door ret ai l act i vi t i es, col or i dent i fi cat i on can be cri t i cal . How-
ever, a hi gh CRI rat i ng i s not i mport ant for rout i ne survei l l ance
where t he vi sual t ask i s det ect i ng pot ent i al securi t y probl ems.
This chapter is from the book Lighting Upgrades, by Damon Wood.
It is reprinted with permission from Upword Publishing, Inc.
To order Lighting Upgrades, call (800) 444-4881.
2
Use t he l i ght sources and l umi nai res t hat wi l l most economi -
cal l y del i ver l umens t o t he out door area. Thi s may i nvol ve
upgradi ng t o a more effi ci ent out door l i ght i ng source and/ or
i nst al l i ng effi ci ent l umi nai res wi t h i mproved l i ght i ng di st ri bu-
t i on performance.
Inst al l aut omat i c cont rol s t o el i mi nat e dayt i me operat i on and
mi ni mi ze unnecessary ni ght t i me operat i on.
RECOMMENDED LIGHT LEVELS AND
UNIFORMITY RATIOS
The IESNA recommends speci fi c mai nt ai ned i l l umi nance val ues
for out door l i ght i ng appl i cat i ons. Tabl e 17-1 l i st s t hese recommen-
dat i ons for some of t he more common appl i cat i ons. Not e t hat where
vehi cl e operat i on i s assumed, t he l i ght i ng syst em shoul d mai nt ai n
a uni formi t y rat i o t hat does not exceed t he maxi mum val ue shown.
For exampl e, assume t hat t he average mai nt ai ned l i ght l evel i n a
covered parki ng area i s 5 fc. To mai nt ai n an average-t o-mi ni mum
uni formi t y rat i o of no more t han 4: 1, t he mi ni mum l i ght l evel (t ypi -
cal l y bet ween l umi nai re l ocat i ons) shoul d be no l ess t han 1. 25 fc.
The IESNA Li ght i ng Handbook l i st s i l l umi nance recommendat i ons
for many ot her out door l i ght i ng appl i cat i ons not shown i n t he t abl e.
LIGHT SOURCE SELECTION FACTORS
To maxi mi ze energy savi ngs, use t he l owest -wat t age out door
l i ght i ng syst ems t hat del i ver t he appropri at e l i ght l evel s and desi red
col or qual i t y. The vari abl es of col or renderi ng requi rement s and
mount i ng hei ght wi l l si gni fi cant l y affect t he choi ce of upgrade sol u-
t i ons. Ot her fact ors t hat affect l i ght source sel ect i on are t he mi ni -
mum st art i ng t emperat ure and t he physi cal l ayout of t he out door
area t o be i l l umi nat ed.
Color Rendering
Under sources wi t h a l ow CRI, col ors wi l l appear unnat ural or
less bright than under high CRI sources. Therefore, avoid using HPS
and LPS sources i n out door l i ght i ng appl i cat i ons where hi gh qual i t y
color rendering is important (such as car sales, billboards and sports
faci l i t i es). For exampl e, met al hal i de l amps may be used t o i l l umi -
nat e a soft bal l fi el d (where col or renderi ng i s i mport ant ), whi l e
Chapter 17
3 Outdoor Lighting
Table 17-1. Target light levels and uniformity ratios. Source:
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.
Recommended Maintained Illuminance
Outdoor Lighting Applications (And MaximumUniformity Ratios)
Building Exteriors 5 fc entrances
1 fc surroundings
Billboards/ Signs 100 fc dark surfaces; bright surroundings
50 fc light surfaces; bright surroundings
50 fc dark surfaces; dark surroundings
20 fc light surfaces; dark surroundings
Gardens 0.5 fc general lighting
1 fc path and steps
Loading Platforms 20 fc
Recreational Sports 10 fc basketball
10 fc tennis
10 fc softball (infield)
7 fc softball (outfield)
Local Commercial Roadways 8 fc (6:1 average-to-minimumuniformity ratio)
Covered Parking Facilities 5 fc (4:1 average-to-minimumuniformity ratio)
Open Parking Facilities:
General Parking & Pedestrian Area 3.6 fc high activity (4:1 avg/ min uniformity)
2.4 fc mediumactivity (4:1 avg/ min uniformity)
0.8 fc low activity (4:1 avg/ min uniformity)
Open Parking Facilities:
Vehicle Use Area (only) 2.0 fc high activity (3:1 avg/ min uniformity)
1.0 fc mediumactivity (3:1 avg/ min uniformity)
0.5 fc low activity (4:1 avg/ min uniformity)
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Table 17-2. Typical performance of outdoor light sources. Source:
Manufacturer literature.
Maintained
Light Source CRI Rating Efficacy (lm/ W)
FLUORESCENT
T4 Compact Fluorescent 82 - 86 25 - 65
T5 Twin-Tube Fluorescent 82 - 85 35 - 74
T8 Standard 75 - 85 70 - 90
T12 Standard 62 - 85 50 - 90
T8 High Output 85 81
T12 Very High Output 62 - 85 42 - 44
HIGH-INTENSITY DISCHARGE
Metal Halide 65 - 85 38-86
High-Pressure Sodium
Standard HPS 22 45 - 115
Deluxe HPS 65 42 - 73
Mercury Vapor 22 - 50 19 - 43
Low-Pressure Sodium 0 50 - 150
hi gh-pressure sodi um l amps may be used t o i l l umi nat e t he road-
way and parki ng areas. Refer t o t he Tabl e 17-2 for t ypi cal CRI and
effi cacy val ues of l i ght sources used for out door appl i cat i ons.
As Tabl e 17-2 shows, t he most effi caci ous out door l i ght i ng
sources general l y del i ver t he l owest col or renderi ng performance.
However, i n many out door appl i cat i ons, l i ght i ng syst em sel ect i ons
are dri ven by col or renderi ng and mount i ng hei ght fact ors, l eavi ng
rel at i vel y few deci si ons t o make regardi ng effi cacy. To t he ext ent
possi bl e, avoi d usi ng l ow-effi cacy sources such as i ncandescent ,
mercury vapor, VHO fl uorescent and ot her magnet i c-bal l ast fl uo-
rescent syst ems.
Mounting Height
To i l l umi nat e l arge out door areas wi t h hi gh-mount ed l umi nai res,
use ei t her HPS or met al hal i de l amps. These are energy-effi ci ent ,
hi gh-out put poi nt sources. Poi nt source l umi nai res are i nherent l y
t he most effect i ve for l ong-di st ance l i ght proj ect i on.
For l i ght i ng smal l er areas and/ or where l umi nai res are mount ed
at l ower hei ght s, t he more di ffuse sources may be used. Fl uorescent
Chapter 17
5
and LPS l amps are l ow-pressure di scharge sources whi ch, unl i ke
point sources, provide relatively diffuse (scattered) light and are more
effect i ve at l ower mount i ng hei ght s (bel ow 20-25 ft . ). HID sources
may al so be used at t hese l ower mount i ng hei ght s, provi ded t hat
adequat e gl are shi el di ng i s provi ded. The mount i ng hei ght of l ow-
wat t age (<18W) compact fl uorescent sources shoul d general l y be
limited to 10 ft. or less.
Cold-Weather Performance
Not e t hat t he l i ght out put and effi cacy of fl uorescent syst ems
can drop dramat i cal l y i n t emperat ures under 50F, dependi ng on
the lamp type and chemistry. Some compact fluorescent lamps utilize
a mercury amal gam (mercury al l oy) t hat al l ows for col d-weat her
st art i ng and near-peak operat i ng performance at t emperat ure
ext remes. Wi t h l ow-t emperat ure fl uorescent el ect roni c bal l ast s
avai l abl e for most st andard and hi gh-out put ful l -si ze fl uorescent
l amps, l ow-t emperat ure st art i ng and hi gh effi cacy can be achi eved
wi t h out door fl uorescent l i ght i ng syst ems. Where l ow t emperat ures
are expect ed t o prevai l , cl ear t ubul ar i nsul at i ng j acket s can hel p
i ncrease l umen out put from l i near fl uorescent syst ems.
Bot h l ow-pressure and hi gh-pressure sodi um sources wi l l st art
rel i abl y at t emperat ures as l ow as -40F. Most met al hal i de syst ems
requi re a mi ni mum st art i ng t emperat ure of -20F. And unl i ke
fl uorescent syst ems, HID syst em wat t age and l umen out put are
essent i al l y i ndependent of ambi ent t emperat ure.
OUTDOOR LUMINAIRES
To maxi mi ze effect i veness and mi ni mi ze wast e and l i ght t res-
pass, out door l umi nai res shoul d confi ne t he l i ght i ng t o t he t arget
area. The choi ce of out door l umi nai res i s dri ven by t he si ze of t he
out door area, t he need t o cont rol spi l l l i ght , and aest het i cs.
High Mounting Luminaires
Hi gh mount i ng l umi nai res general l y use HID sources and are
mounted on poles at least 15 ft. high. These luminaires are described
bel ow and i l l ust rat ed i n Fi gure 17-1.
Hi gh Mast - Wi t h mount i ng hei ght s of 60-100 ft . , hi gh mast
l umi nai res are used t o i l l umi nat e l arge areas. These syst ems are
Outdoor Lighting
6
usual l y equi pped wi t h a l oweri ng devi ce for conveni ent mai nt enance
at ground l evel . Hi gh mast l i ght i ng i s t ypi cal l y used for hi ghway
i nt erchange l i ght i ng and off-st reet areas such as i ndust ri al yards
and l arge parki ng l ot s.
Refract or - Refract or l umi nai res provi de wi de beam di st ri but i on
and are general l y used where spi l l l i ght cont rol i s not i mport ant .
The wi de beam di st ri but i on al l ows for wi der spaci ng of l umi nai res.
Typi cal appl i cat i ons i ncl ude hi ghway, st reet and general area
l i ght i ng. The refract or l umi nai res t hat use fl uorescent or LPS l amps
need to be mounted at lower heights because of their reduced optical
cont r ol .
Cut -Off - Pri mari l y used for l i ght i ng medi um t o l arge areas, t hi s
l umi nai re i s very effect i ve i n mi ni mi zi ng di rect gl are. Where aes-
thetic appearance is a concern for low-glare street lighting and park-
ing lot applications, a low-profile, horizontal lamp unit may be used.
Chapter 17
Figure 17-1. Common high-mount outdoor luminaires. Courtesy:
National Lighting Bureau.
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Fl oodl i ght - Usi ng an effi -
ci ent refl ect or for sharp cut -off
cont rol , t hese l umi nai res are
t ypi cal l y used where cont rol of
gl are and l i ght t respass are
cri t i cal . Typi cal exampl es i n-
cl ude ai rport apron l i ght i ng or
areas i mmedi at el y adj acent t o
resi dent i al propert i es.
Medium And Low
Mounting Luminaires
Medi um and l ow mount i ng
l umi nai res may use compact
fl uorescent , LPS or HID sourc-
es. Mount i ng confi gurat i ons for
t hese l umi nai res i ncl ude bot h
bui l di ng-mount and pol e-
mount . These l umi nai res are
descri bed bel ow and i l l ust rat -
ed i n Fi gure 17-2.
Bui l di ng-Mount ed Re-
fract or - Usi ng l ower wat t age
HID l amps, bui l di ng-mount ed
refract or l umi nai res produce a
wi de beam di st ri but i on for gen-
eral l i ght i ng around bui l di ngs.
Wi t hout a sharp cut -off, how-
ever, its glare may be objection-
abl e i n some appl i cat i ons.
Bui l di ng-Mount ed Cut -
Off - Inst ead of usi ng a refrac-
t or/ l ens, t hi s l umi nai re uses a
refl ect or t o achi eve t i ght beam
control and low brightness. The
upper part of t he beam i s cut
off t o prevent l i ght t respass
beyond t he i nt ended i l l umi na-
t i on area.
Outdoor Lighting
Figure 17-2. Common medium
and low mounting outdoor
luminaires. Courtesy: National
Lighting Bureau.
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Post -Top - Typi cal l y used for pedest ri an wal kways and smal l -
area l i ght i ng, t hese decorat i ve l umi nai res can ut i l i ze l ow-wat t age
compact fl uorescent or HID sources. Some post -t op l umi nai res fea-
t ure di ffusi ng gl obes t hat al l ow t he l i ght t o be di st ri but ed i n al l di -
rect i ons, wast i ng most of t he l i ght t hat i s emi t t ed above hori zont al .
Cont rol l ed post -t op l umi nai res are more effi ci ent because t hey di -
rect t he maj ori t y of t he l amp l i ght ont o t he desi red area.
Low-Mount ed Si t e Li ght i ng - Compact fl uorescent and HID
sources are general l y used i n l ow-mount ed si t e l i ght i ng t o provi de
illumination for walkways and small areas. Mounted below eye level,
t hese decorat i ve l umi nai res can effi ci ent l y del i ver gl are-free l i ght .
OUTDOOR LIGHTING APPLICATIONS
Tabl e 17-3 provi des gui dance i n choosi ng l i ght sources for out -
door l i ght i ng appl i cat i ons. The four appl i cat i ons shown i n t he t abl e
i l l ust rat e t he di versi t y t hat exi st s i n out door l i ght i ng appl i cat i ons.
Chapter 17
Table 17-3. Light sources for outdoor lighting applications.
High- Low-
Pressure Metal Linear Compact Pressure
Sodium Halide Fluorescent Fluorescent Sodium
(CRI>22) (CRI>65) (CRI>62) (CRI>80) (CRI=0)
Large Area; High
Mounting (Parking Lot)
Small Area; Low
Mounting (Walkway) ()*
Sign/ Billboard
Covered (Parking Garage) ()*
*LPS lamp use is limited to applications where monochromatic sources are acceptable.
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Parking Lots (Large Areas)
Effect i ve out door parki ng l ot i l l umi nat i on can at t ract cust omers
t o ret ai l est abl i shment s, promot e t raffi c and pedest ri an safet y,
det er cri me and vandal i sm, and creat e a sense of personal securi t y.
In addition to selecting efficient light sources, energy-efficient park-
i ng l ot l i ght i ng must provi de proper l i ght di st ri but i on.
Parki ng l ot l umi nai res shoul d effi ci ent l y di rect t he l i ght t o t he
parking surface. Even if an extremely efficacious light source is used,
a narrow l i ght i ng di st ri but i on wi l l cause uneven i l l umi nat i on (or
wi l l requi re more l umi nai res i n new i nst al l at i ons). Therefore, t he
sel ect i on of t he l umi nai res opt i cal syst em i s part of t he l i ght i ng
upgrade desi gn. Some l umi nai res t hat use i nt erchangeabl e or
rot at i onal opt i cal syst ems al l ow users t o change t he l i ght i ng
di st ri but i on aft er t he l umi nai re i s i nst al l ed.
By l i mi t i ng t he i l l umi nat i on t o t he parki ng surface, l i ght i ng
energy i s reduced and nei ghbori ng i nhabi t ant s wont have t he
annoyance of l i ght t respass. In general , l umi nai res t hat l i mi t l i ght
out put at hi gh angl es (above 75) reduce t he pot ent i al for l i ght
t r e s pa s s .
Walkway/ Architectural Lighting
Wal kway and archi t ect ural l i ght i ng can be used for faci l i t at i ng
pedest ri an safet y and t raffi c whi l e enhanci ng t he out door appear-
ance. Archi t ect ural l umi nai res t hat use HID sources i ncl ude post -
t ops and bol l ards, many of whi ch provi de i ndi rect l i ght wi t h refl ec-
t i ve surfaces t o reduce gl are. Lower l evel i l l umi nat i on appl i cat i ons
such as pat hway or garden l i ght i ng may use l ow-wat t age compact
fl uorescent or l ow-vol t age hal ogen sources.
Signs
Effect i ve si gn l i ght i ng i s essent i al for t he si gns message t o be
communi cat ed at ni ght . Si gns can be i l l umi nat ed i nt ernal l y or ex-
ternally. The goal of sign lighting is to provide high visibility through
t he proper sel ect i on of l i ght sources.
Internally illuminated signs are used widely in retail applications,
t ypi cal l y ut i l i zi ng l i near fl uorescent l amps. In t hese appl i cat i ons,
col or renderi ng i s not as i mport ant as col or t emperat ure. Typi cal l y,
cool -whi t e (4100K) provi des good resul t s. EPACT has al l owed ful l -
wat t age cool whi t e l amps t o be used i n out door si gn appl i cat i ons,
because t he energy-saver (reduced wat t age) al t ernat i ves requi re a
much hi gher (60F) mi ni mum st art i ng t emperat ure.
Outdoor Lighting
10 Chapter 17
Figure 17-3. Energy can be saved by controlling the distribution
of light from outdoor systems. The top two illustrations show
how the lighting can be confined to the target area without
wasting energy on spill light. However, the bottom two illustra-
tions show that light trespass not only wastes energy, but can
aggravate the neighbors. Courtesy: National Lighting Bureau.
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Ext ernal l y i l l umi nat ed si gns i ncl ude most roadway si gns and
bi l l boards. Li ght sources wi t h cool er col or t emperat ures (>4000K)
are normal l y chosen for t hese appl i cat i ons, because t hey can
i mprove ni ght t i me vi sual acui t y, whi ch i s needed for readi ng words
and numbers at a di st ance. Compared wi t h warmer sources (such
as HPS), cool er sources (such as met al hal i de and fl uorescent ) cause
t he pupi l t o const ri ct t o a smal l er si ze, t hereby creat i ng a more
di st i nct i mage on t he eyes ret i na. The speci fi c l i ght source t hat i s
chosen depends on t he si ze of t he si gn and t he di st ance t he l i ght
source i s pl aced from t he si gn.
Covered Parking Garages
Many dri vers fi nd t hat operat i ng a vehi cl e i n a parki ng st ruct ure
can be ext remel y chal l engi ng. Therefore, i mproved garage l i ght i ng
can lead to fewer accidents. The most difficult aspect of garage light-
i ng i s provi di ng hi gh uni formi t y and l ow gl are. The worst garage
lighting systems force the driver to squint and strain as the car passes
bet ween l umi nai res j ust before i t i s parked i n a dark st al l .
Al t hough bot h fl uorescent and HID sources can be used, most
new i nst al l at i ons ut i l i ze fl uorescent sources wi t h l ow-t emperat ure
bal l ast s. Fl uorescent sources provi de di ffuse i l l umi nat i on, resul t i ng
i n reduced shadows. Properl y shi el ded, fl uorescent syst ems can pro-
vide a low glare garage lighting environment as well. If HID sources
are chosen, a sharp cut off angl e can hel p i mprove vi sual comfort ,
but i t reduces uni formi t y.
LIGHTING CONTROL STRATEGIES
Al l out door l i ght i ng syst ems shoul d be aut omat i cal l y cont rol l ed
usi ng a dayl i ght swi t chi ng syst em. At a mi ni mum, phot ocel l s shoul d
be used t o act i vat e t he l i ght i ng syst em at dusk and t urn i t off at
dawn. However, when repl aci ng t he ol der mechani cal phot ocel l s,
consi der reduci ng energy and mai nt enance cost s by i nst al l i ng new
sol i d-st at e el ect roni c phot osensors whi ch combi ne l onger servi ce
l i fe wi t h more accurat e dayl i ght sensi ng.
If the outdoor lighting is not needed throughout the night, a timed
swi t chi ng syst em may be wi red i n seri es wi t h t he phot osensor t o
swi t ch off t he ci rcui t before dawn. Mi croprocessor-based t i med
swi t chi ng syst ems are an al t ernat i ve t o phot osensors. They predi ct
seasonal dusk/ dawn swi t chi ng t i mes and aut omat i cal l y swi t ch t he
l i ght i ng syst ems accordi ngl y. Mi croprocessor-based dayl i ght swi t ch-
i ng syst ems can i ncorporat e pre-dawn schedul ed swi t chi ng.
Outdoor Lighting
12 Chapter 17
Bi -l evel swi t chi ng i s anot her cont rol st rat egy for savi ng out door
l i ght i ng energy. In many appl i cat i ons such as parki ng l ot s,
recreat i onal t enni s court s and securi t y l i ght i ng, ful l l i ght out put i s
not needed unl ess t he space i s occupi ed. Usi ng an i nfrared
occupancy sensor wi t h a bi -l evel swi t chi ng syst em, t he l i ght sources
become bri ght er when an occupant i s det ect ed. Thi s cont rol st rat egy
not only saves energy, but it can also be effective in deterring crime
and vandal i sm. Securi t y guards wi l l know i f a space has been
recent l y occupi ed i f t he l i ght s are bri ght . New HID l umi nai res are
avai l abl e wi t h bi -l evel swi t chi ng capabi l i t y. Some bi -l evel HID
l umi nai res are sol d wi t h dedi cat ed occupancy sensors; ot hers must
recei ve t he occupancy si gnal from remot e sensors vi a cont rol wi ri ng
or a powerl i ne carri er si gnal .