I recently interviewed Jay Sachetti, Director, Eaton Lighting on the topic of what’s new in LED outdoor area lighting for an article I developed for the February 2020 issue of tED Magazine. Here’s the transcript.
DiLouie: Aside from energy savings and long service life, in what ways has LED technology changed outdoor area lighting? What % of new luminaire sales are LED-based in today’s outdoor area lighting market?
Sachetti: The outdoor lighting market was one of the first industry segments to adopt LEDs due to the expense of changing light bulbs on top of a pole and the high wattages of individual luminaires. Beyond the typical benefits, today’s LED products and solutions allow for maintained high lumen maintenance values. The light output of HID products rapidly and continually depreciates after installation but for practical reasons, they cannot be replaced as soon as the light output begins to decrease. HIDs and metal halides are usually below 50 percent of the original light output once they’re replaced, meaning they’re providing far less than the light levels for which they were designed, often creating a spotlight effect. On the contrary, the lumen maintenance values of today’s LEDs are greater than 95 percent after 60,000 hours – enough for over 14 years’ worth of nighttime illumination – and can be projected to sustain high lumen maintenance values long beyond that.
Additionally, LEDs do not require warm-up time and are more suited to lighting controls that allow a facility to capture even more energy savings with a high ROI while providing an even better visitor experience.
Today’s market for new outdoor area luminaires is closing in on a 100 percent adoption rate for LED.
DiLouie: What are the top trends shaping how outdoor lighting is used, and what effect is this having on demand for specific types of lighting equipment? What are the most popular markets and applications today?
Sachetti: Connectivity, safety and return on investment is shaping today’s outdoor lighting. LED technology is more than just lighting. In the past, lighting and lighting controls were separate. Now, with the platform provided by LEDs, a single, embedded control solution can be used to manage all outdoor lighting.
Also, even distribution is important outdoors due to safety and security concerns. Quality lighting that is placed correctly can help establish feelings of safety and security. Pedestrians may assume drivers can see them after dark, but if overhead lighting is insufficient, they may be in danger. Pedestrian-scale lighting is lower and spaced more closely together than regular roadway lighting. Using LEDs can further increase safety and security by improving light spread and effectively eliminating dark spots.
As the pricing for quality LED solutions has come down and leveled off, both public and private budgets can more easily accommodate major outdoor lighting retrofits. And, thanks to new controls technology, end users can provide lighting in the right amount, at the right time, in places where traditional sources were once unaffordable to install or too expensive to maintain.
DiLouie: What are the top trends in outdoor area luminaire optics, drivers, and LED sources, and what effect is this having on product capabilities and designs?
Sachetti: Greater light control has increased design flexibility and improved safety. LEDs are an inherently controllable light source and can be combined with highly crafted, individual optics that make light output and direction more precise.
Solutions that are designed to reduce glare perceptions typically provide a larger and balanced illumination source, although many struggle from reduced optical performance and efficacy. Drivers with the ability to provide multiple channels of power or communication capability are enabling the luminaire to continue to absorb more technology and output more data. Whether it is integrated cameras, edge-based processing capability or wireless lighting controls, these solutions require physical space in or on the luminaire.
Modularity in light engines and factory-programmable drive currents for drivers allow quality lighting products to dial in the exact amount of light needed for the task.
DiLouie: What are the top trends in outdoor area luminaire aesthetics? Is the size of the LED source influencing available options, including even classic designs?
Sachetti: High-power and chip-on-board LEDs require less physical space than a bulb. Without the need to wrap a housing and reflectors around that bulb, luminaire aesthetics have become more diverse, flexible and commonly flatter. A HID housing design that may be considered classic is likely carrying more weight and material than its modern-day counterpart.
DiLouie: What are the top trends in how outdoor area luminaires are controlled, and what new capabilities is this offering?
Sachetti: As mentioned, LEDs go beyond lighting; it’s an electronics platform that opens the door to new, more flexible solutions. LEDs offer full campus control solutions for large areas, ranging from commercial facilities to shopping malls to airports. Cameras, sensors and other data collection tools can provide additional value to customers. Lights with embedded optical sensors can track the number of cars in a parking lot and the amount of pedestrian traffic on walkways. That kind of information can help companies improve the utilization of their property and assets or maximize storefront retail and advertising opportunities, for example.
DiLouie: What do you as emerging trends, such as IoT, WiFi and LiFi?
Sachetti: The outdoor lighting infrastructure is an advantageous place to conduct many activities beyond lighting. Many cities, campuses and facilities that have implemented “smart” projects outdoors are ending up with bloated, overloaded and busy poles. Integrated solutions that provide a more cohesive aesthetic are rapidly emerging and outdoor luminaires continue to transition towards smart devices with the smart phone serving as a relatable analogy.
Integrated cameras and microphones can be used in settings requiring security deterrence but are also immensely valuable as sensors to support non-identifiable traffic and pedestrian data, car accidents and many other software-based analytics. Embedded equipment for cellular and WiFi networks are increasingly popular as we must constantly be connected in today’s world.
DiLouie: Several years ago, the AMA issued guidelines for outdoor area luminaires, notably in regards to dimming and optimal CCT range. How influential have these guidelines been on the market?
Sachetti: The industry responses to those guidelines from professional organizations who understand the science of lighting, like IES, were swift and clear. Dimming and controls continue to see massive gains in adoption. Residential roadways were shifting towards warmer colors before and after the AMA guidance as the efficacy of those LEDs continues to improve, but high-quality optics and professional lighting design remain more critical in the lighting experience.
DiLouie: How significant is the retrofit opportunity for existing outdoor area lighting systems, including replacement and redesign involving new luminaires?
Sachetti: Today’s LED luminaires with superior optics and customizable lumen packages allow the luminaire count to be reduced in many retrofit projects, which reduces material and install costs. In most parts of the country, an LED retrofit project has a payback period in the small, single digits. Luminaire-based controls supplement that opportunity with flexibility in design, zoning and additional energy savings that further reduce environmental impact.
DiLouie: What are the main attributes of an outdoor area lighting solution that electrical distributors would be looking for? How do they confidently select a quality product?
Sachetti: Energy efficiency, lumen maintenance and optical distributions continue to differentiate luminaires on a performance basis. Connectivity capability is also important, allowing distributors to provide additional value to customers with flexible solutions.
DiLouie: What can distributors do to ensure they are most competitive in the outdoor area lighting market?
Sachetti: While LED has established new standards of quality and performance, distributors need to continue educating their customers about the differences in quality between products and what is possible with controls.
DiLouie: If you could tell the entire electrical industry just one thing about LED lighting for outdoor area applications, what would it be?
Sachetti: With the wattages typically seen outdoors, controls have a stronger return on investment than most other lighting segments and should be used even more than they are today.
