Types of Street Lights
There are several different types of LED lighting fixtures that are well suited for street and roadway lighting. Below are some of the most popular types.
Cobrahead Street Lights - These are one of the most traditional type of roadway lighting on the market. Street lights offer a streamlined and straightforward approach, while also providing very intense lighting output. Our LED street light fixtures have a maximum 150 watt range that outputs 6,500 lumens.
Slipfitter Mount Flood Lights - A popular choice for applications with existing square or round poles. Slipfitter mount flood lights are designed to “slip” over top of the pole, with wiring conveniently run down the middle of the pole, eliminating any wiring hassles for a clean looking installation.
Extruded Arm Mount Flood Lights - These lights are designed to attach to poles or other vertical surfaces that allow for a 90° mounting angle. Due to their fixed non-adjustable nature, extruded arm mount flood lights are one of the most durable options available for street and highway lighting.
Mountless LED Flood Lights - These lights offer a unique option for those who are looking to fabricate their own custom mounting solutions. Our mountless LED flood lights come in a variety of wattage outputs, maxing out at 400 watts and 51,343 lumens.
LED Road Lighting
It should go without saying that roadway illumination is key to ensuring safe and efficient travel on roadways for all types of traffic. This is especially true in congested urban areas with mixed roadway usage and pedestrian foot traffic. Many of these roadways were also not designed to handle the large amount of traffic they currently receive, which makes proper illumination even more critical. In these situations, LED cobra head and high powered flood lights are the most popular choices for streets and roadways to ensure the best possible performance.
Highway Street Lights
Highways handle large amounts of high speed traffic, which makes proper illumination absolutely critical for safety and efficient roadway usage. With many highways still being illuminated by old style lighting systems designed for a time when traffic was slower and less congested, there is a strong need for upgrading to modern light technology. LED highway lights are perfect for this application, with cobra head style lights being the go-to choice for maximum illumination performance and durability.
Commercial LED Street Lights
Commercial and industrial parking lots are some of the largest paved areas in existence requiring high performance illumination. Because of the obvious safety concerns surrounding pedestrian traffic being intermixed with vehicles backing in and out, quality lighting is paramount. LED street lights are the perfect solution for this application, providing strong and broad illumination over wide areas of a parking lot.
LED Street Lighting Information
With today's crowded streets, highways and roadways quality lighting is vital for efficient and safe traffic flow. Luckily lighting technology has kept pace with this ever increasing traffic flow thanks to improvements in LED technology over the past decade. In fact, modern street lighting is almost exclusively LED now, with HIDs and sodium lamps largely being a thing of the past. There are several reasons for this, namely their energy efficiency, durability and the better quality of light they produce.
Street lights come in several different shapes and styles depending on the area in which it is installed. Generally speaking, these lights produce an intense beam designed to illuminate a wide area from high above. Typically these are mounted on a pole, or in certain instances on the sides of vertical surfaces such as dividing walls and barriers on highways and busier roadways.
All lighting fixtures used for this application come with an IEC ingress protection (IP) rating that protects the light against dust and water entering the housing. In order to stand up to heat, snow and other extreme weather conditions, they also feature aluminum casings with durable impact resistant lenses covering the LED modules within. There are various types of mounting options available depending on the location in which it is installed, ensuring that there is a light for your application.
LED Street Light Retrofits
Retrofitting existing street lighting fixtures is a popular option for those who are looking to keep the aesthetics of their existing fixtures while taking advantage of modern LED technology. It's also a solid choice for those who are looking to save money over replacing the entire fixture and have the ability and technical knowledge to wire the retrofit into place. Our retrofit kits come in a variety of different shapes and sizes to accommodate different fixtures and lumen outputs.
Street Lighting Layout
Using 3D rendering lighting design software, our lighting experts are able to provide our customers with technical street lighting photometric layouts to ensure the highest quality of illumination for their project. In this example, we used 10 150W cobrahead street lights at a busy Michigan roadway intersection.
LED Street Light Pricing
The cost of street lighting fixtures can vary depending on several factors, including the type of fixture, the level of weather protection required, the materials used in construction, and the manufacturer.
As a general estimate, some of the cheaper street lighting fixtures can start at around $150, while more durable fixtures will typically cost between $200-$350.
Generally speaking, if you find street lighting that’s under $140, it’s unlikely that this fixture is properly certified to withstand adverse weather conditions.
The LED street lighting fixtures at our store range from $144 up to $250 depending on the style, power, and environment where the fixture needs to operate in.
Municipal Street Lights
Municipal street lights play a vital role in providing lighting for public roads and streets, ensuring the safety and security of pedestrians, motorists, and properties at night. They help reduce crime rates and enhance visibility, allowing people to navigate the streets and roads safely and comfortably.
Estimates put the number of street lights in the U.S. between 45 to 55 million, with the majority of them being high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps and metal halide bulbs. These lights are present throughout parking lots, roadways, and warehouses throughout the United States.
Many cities and municipalities across the U.S have replaced antiquated street lighting technology with modern LED street lights. These cities include Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, and more. This switch is occurring due to LED street lights producing higher quality illumination as well as major cost savings since LED fixtures both consume less energy, and require less maintenance.
We help cities and municipalities make this switch with our top quality LED street lighting fixtures. Our lights are IP65 weatherproof rated, DLC Premium Listed, and come with a dusk till dawn photocell for maximum energy savings.
Street Light Standards
Foot candles are a unit of measurement used to quantify the amount of light on a surface. The appropriate foot candle levels for roadway and parking facilities depend on a number of factors, including the speed of traffic, the presence of pedestrians, and the size of the area being lit. Here are some recommended foot candle levels for different types of roadway and parking facility lighting:
- Roadway lighting: The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recommends a minimum of 0.6 foot candles and a maximum of 3.0 foot candles for low-speed roadways (20 mph or less), and a minimum of 1.5 foot candles and a maximum of 6.0 foot candles for higher-speed roadways (30 mph or more).
- Pedestrian lighting: The IES recommends a minimum of 1.0 foot candles and a maximum of 2.5 foot candles for pedestrian areas.
- Parking lot lighting: The IES recommends a minimum of 0.5 foot candles and a maximum of 5.0 foot candles for parking lot lighting.
It's important to note that these are general guidelines, and the appropriate foot candle levels may vary based on specific site conditions and other factors. A lighting audit can help to determine the appropriate foot candle levels for a particular roadway or parking facility.
Street Light Height
The pole mounting height for street lights in the U.S. can vary depending on several factors, including the type of road, the amount of traffic, and the specific lighting requirements for the area. However, in general, street lights are usually mounted at a height of between 20 and 40 feet (6 to 12 meters) above the ground.
For example, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recommends a minimum mounting height of 25 feet (7.6 meters) for street lights on major roads, and a minimum height of 20 feet (6 meters) for lights on local roads. Additionally, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recommends a mounting height of 30 feet (9 meters) for street lights on highways and 25 feet (7.6 meters) for lights on arterial roads.
It's worth noting that these are just guidelines and the actual mounting height may vary based on local regulations and other factors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How tall are street lights?
The average height of street light poles are around 9 to 14 feet high. There are also smaller ones that are used in pedestrian areas that measure about 5 to 7 feet. These street light poles are most commonly used to illuminate highways, roadways, and commercial parking lots.
Q. How much does it cost to convert street lights to LED?
This will vary depending on the fixture chosen due to variances in wattage, performance and overall construction between different manufacturers. However, most street lights cost approximately $200-300 per unit, not including installation labor costs. This is a relatively straightforward calculation when converting an existing lighting setup.
Q. How long do LED street lights last?
The lifespan of street lights varies depending on the particular light in question. Generally speaking, most LED street lights have a minimum rated lifespan of 50,000 hours, with many going beyond this under ideal operating conditions. Certain models such as our 150W cobrahead roadway fixtures have the option to utilize photocell switching, which only allows the lights to be turned on when there is insufficient ambient lighting, extending their useful lifespan.
Q. How high should LED street lights be mounted?
While there is no perfect mounting height for every situation, most street lights are mounted 15 to 20 feet above the road surface. This allows sufficient overhead clearance for vehicles while placing the lights close enough to provide proper levels illumination at ground level.
Q. Why are some street lights purple?
LED street lights are normally treated in a special type of coating in order to bring their naturally blue color to a bright white. However, there have been instances of budget priced LED street lights failing over time due to poor manufacturing processes. This is one of the reasons why it is important to purchase street lighting from a reputable source that carefully chooses their light manufacturers.