CHOOSING LED LIGHTS FOR YOUR WAREHOUSE

2020-05-29

When selecting LED warehouse lights, two things should be on your mind: productivity and safety. If the lights don’t enhance safety, workers can easily get injured and take many days off work – which is the last thing you want. And if they don’t boost productivity, employees will be less alert and energetic, which will negatively impact your business bottom line. While efficient LED high bay light fixtures are changing the way warehouses and distribution centers are lit, these spaces usually have special challenges when it comes to lighting. This is why it’s crucial to consider these 5 things.

1.   Plan the Lighting Layout Very Well

If your warehouse is old and the lighting fixtures were installed many years ago, the lighting may no longer be adequate. For example, some luminaries may be on top of the shelves and be of no use. A poor lighting layout wastes energy significantly decreases illuminance levels (because the light is delivered to the wrong places), and makes servicing lights an expensive, time-consuming process.

If you own or manage a warehouse, be sure to let your electrician know what you need from the lighting so they can create the perfect layout. There are different light distribution types but only 2 are ideal for warehouses. The electrician will choose the best light distribution type for your warehouse based on the layout of the building.

2.   Avoid Glare At All Cost

When it comes to LED warehouse lighting, there’s one thing people mostly complain about glare. AntLux LED shop lights for garage do not generate light like conventional lights and the intensity of each chip can make glare a serious issue, especially if warehouse workers have to look at the lights when packing products or accessing the higher aisles.

This is why it is so important to balance luminaire efficacy and visual comfort. LED luminaries for high bay fixtures may have excellent luminous efficacy and badly designed optics. Good luminaries may sacrifice luminous efficacy in order to offer visual comfort.

3.   Optics Are Very Important

Modern warehouses and distribution centers usually have narrow aisles and higher ceilings in order to make the most revenue per square foot. Warehouse owners and operators can store and sell more products if they store them in areas that occupy less space.

This trend has given LED manufacturers the opportunity to create better lighting products for storage businesses. Old lighting systems usually distribute light to the sides and downwards. They have “wide” beam angles and distribute a lot of light in areas where it isn’t needed.

New-generation LEDs incorporate optics for the most efficient performance. Optics focus, mix and shape the light produced by the LEDs, controlling the illumination pattern. They help LED fixtures to deliver “narrow” beam angles.

If you’ve decided that LEDs with optics are the best for your warehouse, get those that maximize light output with optics and direct the light to the areas that need it most.

4.   Pay Close Attention to the Color Rendering Index

Color is one of the most important things in warehouse lighting because it affects things like clarity and contrast. In a warehouse where workers have to identify objects and read labels, the lights must have a high Color Rendering Index so everyone can easily do their work. Lights with a high CRI show the natural and realistic colors of objects.

The higher the Color Rendering Index, the more natural the lighting will be. Look for LEDs with a minimum CRI of 85. Anything below this will cause fatigue and make the place less safe. And while light color may not be as important in a warehouse as in a restaurant kitchen, it is still vital for safety and productivity.

5.   Add LED Lighting Controls

A good lighting design is comprised of lighting controls as they ensure that lights only operate when they need to and significantly change the way electricity is consumed. If you combine LEDs for high bay fixtures with lighting controls, the energy consumption of your distribution center or warehouse will considerably go down.

You can use occupancy sensors, motion sensors, or localized presence detectors to lower energy usage when no work is being conducted in specific areas. If the building has roof lights, you can make the most of daylight harvesting.

First off, you might as well say goodbye to metal halide or fluorescent lighting if your upgrading your fixtures completely. In this day and age, you’re just throwing away money if you’re investing in outdated technology, especially with how cheap LED based options are. This is especially true when talking about wholesale ordering of lights as the prices just keep getting better and LED’s keep becoming more and more efficient.

TYPES OF WAREHOUSE LIGHTING

There are a few types of fixtures to choose from when it comes to high ceilings and large areas. Some are better fits for lower ceilings while others are designed for higher ceilings. Different designs also differ in the lumens per watt they provide so if you’re going to run a tight ship, you’ll have fewer options.

LED UFO HIGH BAY LIGHTS

AntLux UFO High Bay LED Lighting, 150W, 19500LM, 5000K Daylight White

These lights are very low profile, come in a variety of beam angles and the most efficient option to choose. UFO lights are just that, they look like small extraterrestrial objects that pack a massive punch. They come in a variety of mounting options overall very versatile. These lights can be used in stadiums, hangars, and high ceiling area. They are typically rated at 50,000 hours and come with a 5 year warranty. We ourselves offer a full replacement warranty on this style of lighting . UFO lights also range up to 170 lumens per watt, the price tag of those models make them a smart investment at this time. The best balance of price and performance is around 130-140 lumens per watt.

LED Linear High Bay Light

AntLux 2FT Linear LED High Bay Light Fixture, 110W, 13200lm, 5000K, Dimmable

These lights are perfect for creating an even light distribution, such as having these in between your warehouse racks to light up the walkways. If you walk into your local home depot, you will see the fluorescent version of this style of light. If you have high stacked goods, these might be a better choice for you as they come fairly close in terms of specs & performance to the UFO lights with a more linear distribution of light.  Typically these fixtures will be easy to install and connect together to form a single line of light. As with any commercial purchase, we recommend making sure you buy fixtures with a 5 year warranty.

LED LOW BAY LIGHTS

Low bay fixtures are meant for ceiling lower than 20 feet high. Typically these types of lights will go into smaller warehouses, shops, and lower ceiling stores. Many of the fixtures in circulation now are shop fixtures that just have fluorescent tube lights inside of them – we recommend replacing these with LED tubes instead which can be plugged right into the current setup for instant savings. This helps you save money on all new fixtures – this could save a large parking garage tons of money with a lot of the benefits.

There is several types of certifications that you should be looking for when purchasing lights, some more important than others. Here is a short breakdown of each of the certification. Some of these certifications are absolutely required for commercial building in the US or Canada.

UL & CUL LISTING

This, or a comparable mark such as ETL is the most important of them all. UL is a safety standard that certifies a product as safe to use. cUL is the Canadian equivalent of the same standard. Some projects may require UL explicitly and will not accept ETL standard products – although the testing is the same.

DLC STANDARD AND DLC PREMIUM LISTING

DLC is a testing criteria for product performance and energy efficiency. There is two versions of DLC listings, Standard and Premium – premium being a much more strict standard. Many utility companies will provide rebates for using DLC listed lighting through their programs. If not for the rebates, we highly recommend getting DLC listed due to the extra tests lights have to go through. All Modern Place commercial grade fixtures come with DLC listings.

LED CHIP BRANDS

Another thing to take into consideration is the LED chip brand used in your lighting. You should pay attention to this as choosing a vendor that has a “no name” brand might leave you with a lot of dead spots or dead fixtures. Often the best brands come with a small premium but it’s well worth the money.

AntLux led warehouse lights provide high performance, long-lasting and energy savings for general purpose use. This workshop light uses 80 watts with 9600 lumens, which is equivalent to a 250W fluorescent fixture, no tube need to replace. Our led high bay ights provide you brighter, cheaper and healthier lighting than incandescent and fluorescent tubes. A step up from 4ft led light fixture is not only in light but in look. It is the perfect energy-saving replacement for both remodel and new construction applications in residential and commercial needs.

GREAT BRANDS

Philips Lumileds (USA)

AntLux (China)

Epistar (Taiwan)

Cree (South Korean)

Osram (Germany)

Samsung (South Korea)