Site lighting for the dark months: checklist for business sites and car parks

Why now: winter time moves your peak hours into the dark

On the last Sunday of October the clocks go back an hour. From then on sunset in the Netherlands falls before half past five, and around half past four in December. The morning shift arrives in the dark, lorries load in the dark and visitors look for their car on a poorly lit site after five.

Floodlights and street lights from our stock are delivered within 5 working days. Steel columns take 3 to 5 weeks, aluminium columns 4 to 6 weeks. If you want a new lighting point ready before the shortest days, order the column in the first half of November. Investing in new lighting before year end? See LED lighting before year end: KIA, EIA and planning.

Checklist: walk the site once after sunset

• Failures: does every luminaire work? One that is off or flickering often has a driver at the end of its life or moisture inside. See condensation in outdoor luminaires.
• Dark zones: walkways, stairs, loading bays, the barrier and the corner by the waste containers.
• Uniformity: bright spots under the luminaires with dark strips in between mean the points are too far apart or the beam is too narrow.
• Glare: if a driver or neighbour looks straight into a floodlight, the tilt angle is wrong.
• Switching: a dirty photocell or a time switch still on summer time leaves the site dark for the first hour.

How much light does a site need?

Guide values for outdoor workplaces are in EN 12464-2. For a car park with light traffic count on about 5 lux, normal traffic 10 lux and heavy traffic 20 lux. Loading areas and yards with forklift traffic need more. A lighting calculation shows what you actually achieve.

Quick estimate: multiply the area by the target lux and add a good half for light falling outside the area and for ageing. For 1,000 m² at 10 lux that is roughly 15,000 to 20,000 lumen installed. Two or three smaller lighting points give a far more even result than one large one.

Facades and corners: floodlights with sensor

For facades, doors and corners a compact floodlight is often enough. The FLUX compact 50 W gives 7,500 lm at 4000K, is IP66 and costs 46.35 euro each excl. VAT from 5 units. Add the plug-in microwave sensor with daylight sensor (16.35 euro) so it only switches on when it is dark and someone is there.

For larger areas choose the FLUX 100 W with 16,000 lm (81.15 euro) or the 150 W with 25,500 lm (97.25 euro), both IP66 and IK10 with a wide 120x150 degree optic and 5 year warranty.

Car park and access road: street light on a column

The VIA street light 20 to 50 W with 7,500 lm (105 euro) and the 30 to 80 W with 12,000 lm (125 euro) have adjustable wattage, IP66 and 10 kV surge protection and fit a 60 mm spigot. In the outlet the VIA 60 W with built-in daylight sensor is 65.95 euro each (box of 3).

Underneath goes the 6 metre hot-dip galvanised steel column for 299 euro, or 4 metres for 295 euro, with a mounting rail for the connection box and CE marking to EN 40.

On at dusk, off when possible

In winter site lighting easily burns 14 to 16 hours a day. Use a daylight sensor instead of a time switch, motion sensors on walkways and night-time dimming via 1-10V or DALI drivers on street lights.

Frequently asked questions