Street lighting is experiencing new dawn; cities are shifting from high-pressure sodium lamps to LED lamps. Street lights are receiving more attention than they have had in a long time. Many debates on if to use LED lamps or not have risen. Some focus on whether LED street lamps are good or not.
So, the question of evaluating street lamps is more critical. People want to know which street lamp to use. They also want to understand how to identity a good light or a bad one. There are so many questions that go unanswered. So, we are here to answer your questions.
Street lamps are vital for businesses. They are crucial for the safety of pedestrians and drivers at night. Also, they affect the aesthetics of a place. Thus, having the right one is vital. No one wants to buy a lamp that burns out the next month. Or a street lamp that can’t withstand the weather conditions.
So, how exactly do you evaluate a street light, especially a LED street lamp? This, we will discuss. We will show you ways to identify if a LED is good or not. But first, what is an LED street lamp.
What is LED Street Light?
LED street light is also known as LED street lamps. It refers to street lamps using LED technology. That is, light emitting-diode. Producers use this tech, especially for increased efficiency and durability. There are so many other reasons why producers use LED.
LED lamps have low radiated heat, more eco-friendly. It is more light-focused with more colour rendering. So, how can we evaluate the features of this light if it's good or not? Going forward, we will discuss this.
What are the Characteristics of LED Street Light?
Let us identify some features of LED street lamps. We will also highlight some pros of LED lights.
LED makes use of advanced technology to illuminate light. It has high brightness and lumens, which measures brightness. LED is not heat-powered but electricity powered. It comprises parts that turn energy into light. LED lamps also have heat sinks that help dissipate heat.
LED tech is very beneficial for street lamps. It helps achieve the aim of illuminating a specific spot. This is because LED is directional. That is, light is focused in one direction. This helps to prevent energy wastage by illuminating unwanted areas.
The luminous efficiency of LED also exceeds that of ordinary streets lamps. It reaches 110-130lm/W and can still go higher. LED lamps also have higher colour rendering than ordinary lamps. Whereas high-pressure sodium lamps have 23 colour rendering. LED lights have over 75 color rendering.
The LED street lamp has a low light decay with less than 3% light decay per annum. This means that after 10 years, it still meets the street requirements. It is more long-lasting. LED street lamps also have excellent heat dissipation control. This helps it disperse heat and operate during cold conditions.
It is highly reliable, durable, and doesn’t contain harmful substances. Whereas traditional street lamps have mercury and lead. These are some pros of LED street lights.
But it is disadvantaged in that one LED lamp has low power. You will need multiple panels to achieve more power. Also, its colour rendering is still low regardless of the 75+.
LED Street Lights, Good or Bad?
Now that we have identified some features, pros, and cons of LED lamps. How can we evaluate if LED lights are good or bad?
There are different types of LED lamps. So, evaluating all with the same criteria might be difficult. But still, there are some basic ways to assess LED lamps.
There are certain aspects crucial to the operation of any street light. Some of these include;
1. Colour temperature
The colour temperature of a street light is vital. It refers to the colour over emitted light, and it’s measured in degrees Kelvin. This simply refers to the colour produced by the light. That is whether it is bluish or yellowish.
Lights in the region of 4,000 kelvin are considered bluish colours. And research has shown that these are not necessarily good for humans. It is regarded as harsh light and somewhat unpleasant to residents. Also, it could affect drivers’ vision at night.
So, when evaluating LED streets lamps. You need to consider its colour temperature. LEDs with a colour temperature of 4,000+ kelvin are not good. But there are LEDs with lower colour temperatures. So, you have other options to choose from.
2. Installation
You also have to evaluate the installation process. The method of installation can affect the residents. So, you cannot ignore this in your evaluation.
If an installation is wrong, it can affect residents and even pedestrians. It can even throw lights into people’s homes. Or flash light into the eyes of drivers, which is very risky.
But for LED lamps, the installation is horizontal. The lights are installed horizontally to ensure light doesn’t disturb residents. So, LEDs don’t cause an unwanted flash of lights in your home.
Also, LEDs are designed to focus light in one direction. This helps to concentrate street lights where needed. Thus, LED is ideal for street lamps.
3. Glare
One major issue with street lights is extended glare. Intense bright lights can extend glare beyond the desired distance. Thus, it can affect driver safety. And even cause pedestrians to squint.
This is an issue with LED lamps as it’s intensely bright. Thus, it may send glares into houses and across streets. But LED also has a feature that solves this issue.
Since intense brightness is what causes unwanted glare. You can use a timer to control the LED brightness. This will help reduce the extended glare.
Alternatively, you could add shields to the LED lights. This would help reduce the brightness to at least 80%. Also, helping to reduce intense glare across streets.
4. Brightness
The brightness of a lamp is crucial to its evaluation. And this is tricky because each street has its brightness requirement. This means that the level of brightness needed on the road differs from the other. So, there isn’t a general evaluation of street lights.
But LED has a unique feature that makes this easier. The brightness of LED is measured by lumens, not watts. While watts measure brightness based on bulb power. Lumen gives a more accurate measurement of brightness.
Lumen measures the amount of light LED gives out. So, the higher the lumen, the higher brightness. Thus, you measure the exact brightness of a LED light. This means you can effectively plan based on your street brightness criteria.
5. Distribution
Streets have different direction requirements. Some require a larger width, while others are smaller. Whatever it is, the light distribution of street lamps is very crucial.
So, when evaluating LED lights, we have to consider their distribution. LEDs can be designed to project light in many patterns. But they have excellent light focus, such that light direction is no issue.
A street light may need to project on a footpath. Another maybe for the parking lot. While the next is for the driveway. With LED lamps, you can design them to shine where you want. LED tech has a better distribution has older street lamps.
All you’ve to do is design the LED lamp to fit your light distribution needs.
6. Control and Timing
For street lights, a remote control is needed. You can’t keep going to the lamp every time you want to adjust it. Thus, you have to assess the timing and control of LED lights.
LED street lamps make control easy for you. It offers remote control and timing. So, at night when leg traffic is reduced, you can remotely dim the light. Or when residents are asleep. You can remote control the light to dim.
But for security reasons, you can activate motion sensors. Such that the LED comes up when there is motion. It could be set to shine brighter with a timer.
This feature of LED lamps helps to save energy. It also saves costs for residents of the street.
Final Thoughts
So, these are some categories to consider when evaluating LED lights. These will help you better conclude if LED lights are good or not. As we have seen, these aspects are very crucial.
LED street lights are very beneficial, though they have cons. But from their features, we see how its tech is useful. And from the evaluation categories, we recognize that LED light is good. Yes, it might be unpleasant in some cases, like colour temperature. Or unsuitable in issues like glare.
But with proper adjustments, these issues can be fixed. In some cases, LED provides its own solution. So, LED lights are good as long as you use them right. Know your street needs and align them correctly with LED lights.
Lebodaworld Lighting is a top LED light producer and supplier in China. We can provide you with expert advice on LED street light fixtures. We have worked with and installed LED lamp solutions for customers living in over 80 countries and regions.
