The next time your driving by a high school, college or professional athletic complex, take a look at the existing lighting structures. Many facilities are currently outdated and in dire need of replacing their existing Metal Halide Halogen fixtures with High Efficiency Commercial Grade LED Lighting.
Unfortunately, there is a misconception that simply converting to LED Lighting will achieve the desired amount of lumens (brightness) on the field of play. Many organizations are attempting to use commercial grade flood lights instead of High Efficiency Commercial Grade Stadium Lighting (examples below) which has a drastic affect on each foot candle on the field.
Some people may argue that it is not just the type of light fixture that has an affect on the foot candles but rather the beam angle and wattage of the fixture, or even the pole positioning in relation to the field of play; and they would be correct. However, if the beam angle and wattage are correct and the pole position is not an issue, then why are facilities installing Commercial Grade Flood Lights only putting off a 25' or 30' candle and other facilities installing Commercial Grade Stadium Lights are seeing 40' to 50' candles?
Simple put, the quality of the LED Chips used in Commercial Grade Stadium Lights are greater than that of a Commercial Grade Flood Lights. The empty space between the light fixture and the ground is considered dead space. For example: A 120' pole will have more dead space from the light fixture to the ground than a 60' Pole. The larger the dead space, the more lumens we lose resulting is smaller foot candles on the field of play.
IBA LED LLC provides all of it clients with a detailed photometric free of charge. Our goal is to assist our clients is selecting the right Stadium Lighting and appropriate wattage. If you or someone you know is looking to upgrade those old Metal Halide fixtures and convert to LED, give us a call today at 434-566-2109 for no obligation quote.