When considering an LED Retrofit for your organization it can be difficult to know where to start. Is it best to start on the interior or exterior space? Where will you receive the maximum return on investment from the retrofit? In today’s post, we will look at some important reasons to start an LED retrofit in the parking area (i.e. parking lots, area lights and parking garages). At a high level, parking lots and parking garages are a great place to start a retrofit for a couple of key reasons.

• Lighting Access: Most parking lots are pole-mounted (20 to 30 feet in the air) so accessing the lamps and ballast can be a challenge.
• Lighting Expense: Depending on the size of your parking lot, the lighting expense can be significant for non-led lamps from not only energy consumption, but oftentimes these lights require a bucket truck or other expensive equipment to access them. Read a mini-case study here.

So now that you’re convinced that beginning the retrofit with the parking area is the best place to start. How do you ensure that the project is successful?

1. Specify Installation Details: Before you start the installation for your project you want to make sure that basic installation details are handled correctly. For instance, things like the pole height is correct, and the wattage and type of ballast are correct for all the lights.
2. Verify Site Conditions: In addition, you also want to check the site conditions before the installation starts. Items like: what is the distance between the poles, are there any trees or slopes that need to be accounted for, and what are the traffic patterns in your parking lot?
3. Ensure the Lighting Warranty: It is also very important to ensure that your new LED lighting has a manufacturer warranty before installation. When dealing with outdoor spaces that have high-burn fixtures a fair warranty is a must in-case something goes wrong.
4. Choose the Right Manufacturer: When it comes to LED lighting products there are a lot of off-brand manufactures from overseas flooding the space. Make sure that you’ve properly vetted the manufacturer before you install the product. Speak to your lighting specialist before you make a decision on the manufacturer that you want to select.
5. Photometric Layouts– Another very important step in prepping for the installation is testing the lighting levels before installation. Be sure photometric layouts are done to ensure you will get the correct lighting performance/levels. Once the levels are achieved be sure to do a beta test.
6. Protect Your Investment – Another important consideration is installing surge protection for the lighting fixtures. This is something that your lighting solutions provider can work with when selecting the manufacturer. Often a power surge will negate the manufacturer’s warranty.
7. Choose a Reputable Service Provider– You also want to choose a reputable service provider that can provide a turn-key solution for your organization. Remember a good light with poor installation results in a bad outcome for your organization, so find the right lighting service provider.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can see that starting your retrofit in the parking area will lead to the greatest return on investment for your organization. However, making sure that you beta test the product, select the right manufacturer and bring in the right lighting service provider are all key steps in the process. If you have any questions after reading this blog post please let us know, contact Action Services Group by calling 610-558-9773, email [email protected], or schedule a call that fits your needs by clicking the button below.