LED SITE (PARKING LOT) LIGHTING
by Stewart on 12/3/2017
CBEA Member
Opportunities and Benefits
CBEA members play an integral role in
the development and application of the
CBEA LED site lighting specification.
They identify candidate products, review
product laboratory testing, conduct field
demonstrations, evaluate candidate products,
and assist with the development of
LED parking lot lighting performance
specifications to guide the design and
purchase of LEDs for parking lots.
Public and private entities are increasingly
utilizing parking lot lighting systems that
meet the CBEA site lighting specification.
This specification saves 50% or more
energy, compared to typical parking lot
lighting systems. Some early adopters
include Walmart, Lowe’s, and Cleveland
Clinic. Walmart is now using lighting
that conforms to the specification in all
new parking lot sites, with over 300 sites
in design or completed to date. Both
Walmart and Lowe’s report energy
savings of 58% compared to ASHRAE
Standard 90.1-2010 (for LZ3).
Overview of the
CBEA Specification
The CBEA Lighting Project Team developed
a performance specification to maximize
the benefits of converting to SSL
technology from the traditional highintensity
discharge technology. The specification
provides information about both
the luminaire and how the site should be
lighted. Lighting designers, engineers, or
SSL manufacturers ideally will work with
commercial building organizations (e.g.,
large retailers or commercial developers)
to provide lighting solutions for different
locations. Key details of the specification
include the following:
• Luminaires backlight, uplight, and glare
(BUG) rating should be characterized
per IES TM-15.
• Luminaires should carry a five-year
warranty covering the luminaire, finish,
and power supply
• Testing requirements are identified
• Different amounts of light (illuminance)
are needed for different parts
of the parking lot
February 2012
• Both power density and illuminance
requirements are by lighting zone (LZ);
different environments need more or less
light (and thus use power differently).
Refer to Table 2 for more information
on basic power density and illuminance
requirements.
Overall Lighting
System Efficiency
Very efficient because of LED directionality, meaning nearly 100% of
light leaves the luminaire
Life Expected long life (50,000+ hours) but actual end-of-life
performance not completely understood
Maintenance Very low maintenance expected due to long life and durability
Environmental
(Mercury)
Contains no mercury
Light Output
Depreciation
Low lumen depreciation rate
Lighting
Uniformity
Directionality and flexibility make maximum/minimum uniformity
ratios below 10:1 easily achievable
Dimmability Fully dimmable
Durability Solid-state technology is much less fragile and less susceptible to
vandalism, breakage, or damage from high winds and vibration
Light
Pollution
Easy to reduce light pollution effects due to inherent directionality
of source.
Energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy will mean a stronger economy, a cleaner
environment, and greater energy independence for America. Working with a wide array
of state, community, industry, and university partners, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in a diverse portfolio of energy technologies.
A CBEA Project Team is focused on
making reliable, energy-efficient,
and competitively priced outdoor
LED lighting systems more widely
available in the marketplace.
Members of the CBEA Lighting Project
Team are working to support the increased
use of high-efficiency LED parking lot
lighting that is reliable, energy efficient,
and competitively priced. LED technology
is becoming more common as a practical
solution for parking lot illumination. The
potentially long life of LED products defers
the cost of maintenance. Additionally,
LEDs can provide more uniform illumination
than other lighting technologies.
Some of the many benefits for LED
lighting in parking lots are shown in
Table 1 on page 2.
DOE’s CBEAs are focusing on reducing
commercial building energy costs and
consumption by working with a host of
industry suppliers, including appliance,
heating, cooling, and lighting manufacturers,
to meet members’ energy-efficiency
needs. One area in particular that offers
immediate returns is lighting, because the
performance of high-efficiency lighting
systems using solid-state lighting (SSL).
This DOE-sponsored effort is being implemented by the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL) in coordination with CBEA members. DOE actively supports
research and commercialization of LED lighting through its SSL program, which
focuses on research and development, product testing, technical information development,
product demonstrations, and outreach to energy-efficiency program administrators.
Visit ssl.energy.gov for more information on DOE’s SSL portfolio.
DOE provides technical assistance in support of this specification project, including:
• Product demonstration technical support
• Analysis of energy cost savings
• Analysis/quantification of maintenance cost savings
• Investigations into life measurements and other performance indicators
• Development and maintenance of the CBEA product performance specification
• Performance specification technical assistance as needed.
Resources developed in support of this effort are available at www1.eere.energy.gov/
buildings/alliances/rea_subcommittees.html (see Lighting and Electrical). To see the full
performance specification.
