Your commercial property takes on a whole different appearance at night.
Whether it maintains its attractiveness or becomes a forbidding or even dangerous place depends a lot on your lighting. Outdoor LED landscape lighting is an important safety and security feature.
A well-lit property discourages criminal activity, puts your visitors at easy, and helps prevent accidents and injuries caused by poor visibility.
The downside is that lighting your commercial property can get expensive. According to U.S. Dept. of Energy estimates, outdoor lighting accounts for at least 8% of commercial lighting expenses on average, and probably more. Fortunately, newer lighting technology offers a solution.
Outdoor LED Lighting Offers Quality And Economy In Commercial Landscape Applications
If you are still running conventional incandescent outdoor lighting, you are probably paying far more than you should to light your property. Today’s LED lamps are capable of delivering the same amount of illumination while cutting energy use by up to 80%. LEDs offer superior lighting quality, and also run far cooler than traditional lights: a true advantage during hot central Georgia summers!
It’s true that LEDs are still a little more expensive to install than traditional lighting. However, the price of LED lamps has fallen over the past few years as more and more property owners realize that upgrading to LEDs is a smart investment that pays back quickly.
LED lights also last up to 20 times longer than incandescents. This means far lower maintenance costs, especially for those hard-to-reach bulbs. Best of all, LEDs are now available in a wide range of outdoor lighting applications for improving your property’s appearance and safety.
Where To Use Outdoor LED Landscape Lighting To Improve Pedestrian Safety On Your Commercial Property
Here are some common places to install outdoor lighting, as well as overlooked locations you might want to consider:
Main Entrance
Of course, your main entryway should be well-lit, both for security and to help after-hours visitors navigate the area.
Main entrances are enhanced with LED downlighting and with floodlighting to illuminate the entrance and signage.
Other Entry Points
Gates and back or side doors should each be illuminated to discourage unauthorized entry. For gates, spot or accent lights can do the trick, or install tall downlights near each entry point.
Doors usually fare best with overhead lighting. Of course, you may not want to call attention to some of these areas for aesthetic reasons. In this case, and to save energy, motion sensors are an excellent solution.
Windows
Don’t forget that windows are also a common entry point for burglars. You can illuminate windows with accent lighting, or for a sophisticated look, illuminate the entire facade. A landscape lighting expert can help you choose the proper lighting units to enhance the features of your building at night.
Pathways
It is essential that any walkways on your property be well lit to avoid litigation due to trips and falls. Commercial LED pathway lights are available in many styles to suit your property. Some even contain miniature solar panels for a green outdoor lighting solution!
When installing pathway lights, make sure that every point along the path receives at least one foot-candle (10.75 lumens) of illumination. If your pathways are well-traveled, you might also want to install overhead lamps at intervals along the way.
Driveways
Path lights can also be used to define driveways and keep vehicles from leaving the pavement in the dark. Overhead street lighting provides even more illumination and is recommended if you expect pedestrian and/or bicycle traffic on your driveway areas.
Steps
Stairs and steps are especially hazardous at night when visibility is low. Use special stair lights to call attention to these areas. Be sure that the lip and tread of each stair is lit, so that people can see exactly where to put their feet.
One common cause of nighttime falls on stairways is lighting that doesn’t allow people to differentiate between the tread and the riser. If you can adjust your lighting so that the shadow highlights the leading edge of the tread, people can more easily see where the tread begins.
Parking Lots
One common place for assaults to happen is in a darkened parking lot, where people are vulnerable as they search for their car keys, and an attacker can easily lurk between parked vehicles.
A series of tall LED floodlights can create a day-like atmosphere for the protection of your after-hours customers and employees, at a lower cost and with better lighting quality than alternative lighting types.
Contact Us For More Commercial Landscape Lighting Ideas
While pedestrian safety should always be a primary concern when designing commercial landscape lighting, your outdoor lighting can offer even more value to your business above and beyond safety.
We invite you to ask us for ideas on how your outdoor landscape lighting can also enhance the nighttime appearance of your property, and bring positive attention to your business and brand.
Do you have concerns about how your lack of landscape lighting will impact pedestrian safety on your commercial property? Contact us online by filling out this short form, or give us a call at 478-750-7733 to speak with one of our qualified landscape lighting professionals.
Images: Luminarias, Orange LED bulb, Parking lot, Street lamps
