Brighter is better” is the long-standing philosophy behind every station lighting. With the latest lighting technology and stringent customer requirements, factors such as lighting quality, lifetime cost, and energy consumption are emphasized when choosing downlights for gas station lighting.
Today’s front yard owners have realized that quality lighting is important for safety, cost savings, and attracting more drivers to their facilities. General and electrical contractors face considerable challenges when helping their customers choose the perfect options.
There are 3 main types of canopy lights to choose from.
LED canopy lighting. These can be further classified into surface mount, recessed, and vertical LED lights.
High-intensity discharge (HID) lamp. These are gas discharge lamps such as metal halide lamps, high-pressure sodium lamps, and mercury lamps.
Fluorescent and compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps.
LED canopy lights are an amazing option for gas station lighting. Energy savings, lighting quality, and cost savings far outweigh the high initial cost.
However, HID bulbs, such as halogen bulbs, are more reliable and produce more light. Choosing isn’t easy, so use this guide to understand the different types of gas station canopy lights and the lighting design factors that influence your choice.
What is a canopy light?
In lighting, a canopy is a metal panel that covers a wall, ceiling, or soffit junction box. Surface-mounted or recessed lighting that uses a canopy is considered a canopy light.
Especially gas station lighting, a canopy light is any lighting fixture that is mounted directly on the station canopy. These fixtures must be weather resistant as we will be mounting the junction box and other components above the canopy. The space inside the box is enough to accommodate the LED drivers and other electrical components. For recessed mounts, these are above the canopy.
Besides canopy lights, gas stations also use other types of lighting fixtures, such as wall packs on the sides of buildings, floodlights in parking lots, and pole lights in entrances and walkways.
The best way to choose the best canopy lights for your gas station is to determine the lighting technology you need and choose the canopy lights that best suit your aesthetic, functionality, and price goals.
LED VS HID VS CFL cover light
We’re not talking about incandescent bulbs here. Incandescent bulbs rely on incandescent elements to produce light, wasting over 90% of their energy as heat. For this reason, it is considered obsolete today, although not completely obsolete.
The most common types of lightings used in commercial canopies today are LED, HID, and CFL. Each variety has its own benefits and weaknesses that make it suitable for different uses.
An induction lamp is a more advanced type of fluorescent lamp that relies on powerful electromagnets instead of heating elements to excite the gas within the tube.
Guiding lights have very similar characteristics to LED lights.
It has a rated life of 100,000 hours, up to 90 lumens/watt (120 lumens/watt for LED), flicker, glare, dimmability, and 70-90 CFI.
However, these lights are pricey and are used when a very high luminous flux is required. This is because current LEDs produce 15,000 lumens in his 250W package, while induction lights can produce over 36,000 lumens in one of his packages.
The function of each type of canopy light is obvious, but there are three other important factors to consider when choosing a canopy light.
Factor 1 Human-Centered Lighting Design
Lighting parameters such as illuminance, light color, luminance distribution, and color rendering are important for vestibule lighting and affect everything from sales to safety.
First, human-centered lighting is important for driver psychology. In 2001, a scientific study suggested that better lighting influenced drivers’ propensity to stop at gas stations.
Whiter (cooler) temperature glare-free light provides a psychological sense of security and relaxation. Compare the two familiar scenes below and see which one might draw you in.
Factor 2 Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings
From an economic point of view, luminaires with the lowest life cycle costs are the best option. Lifetime costs include initial acquisition, maintenance, and energy costs associated with the luminaire.
Philips estimates that lighting charges for more than 30% of his petrol station electricity bill. Cost savings in this area save thousands of dollars each year.
Factor 3 Switch to greener light to save energy
Energy-efficient lamps are also environmentally friendly. It uses much less power, which helps reduce the station’s carbon footprint.
When it comes to maintenance, fluorescent and HID lights require regular maintenance. Many companies regularly inspect ballasts, tubes, and other components and replace them after 75% of their rated life to ensure peak performance.
Factor 4 Principles of Functional Lighting
Like many other commercial and industrial facilities, service stations rely on bulkhead lighting for cost savings and functionality.
Overall, a service station consists of several different areas, such as work areas, areas adjacent to work areas, parking lots, sidewalks, car washes/garages, and convenience stores. Each of them has a different luminosity for lighting and cost saving. Work areas and outdoor lighting are generally the brightest.
Contrast and clear vision are paramount in the work area. Given the safety of gas stations, employees and drivers must have maximum visibility in and around refueling areas.
Convenience stores, on the other hand, require more warm and inviting lighting. This creates a welcoming atmosphere for customers and encourages them to stay longer and shop more.