With the continuous rise in electricity costs and the influence of greenhouse effects, many businesses have had to adopt more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly lighting solutions. Among the various lighting fixtures, LED fixtures are the most popular choice. Practical evidence shows that LED lights are a groundbreaking invention with advantages such as low energy consumption, rapid response, long lifespan, and high light quality. The emergence of these high bay LED lights has indeed helped businesses overcome current challenges, saving a significant amount of energy costs and providing higher quality lighting for their homes, businesses, and outdoor areas. If you have large indoor space lighting needs (factories, warehouses, large department stores, stadiums, gyms), high bay LED lights are an excellent choice.
High bay LED lights provide excellent illumination for large spaces. However, high bay LED lights vary in size, color, and brightness. Some are hung using chains and hooks, some use hanging ropes, and some are fixed directly to the ceiling with brackets. Faced with so many choices, most people find it challenging to determine their goals when buying high bay LED lights. Here, we will guide you through high bay LED lights to help you choose the most suitable LED fixtures.
What Are High Bay LED Lights?
High bay LED fixtures usually refer to lighting fixtures used in spaces with high ceilings, mainly categorized into two types: high bay and low bay LED lights. The main distinguishing factor between these two types is the ceiling height, typically considered high bay lighting if the installation height exceeds 12 feet, and its wattage exceeds 100W with brightness over 10,000 lumens.
High bay lights find applications in various settings, including manufacturing facilities, stadiums, warehouses, large stores, and factories, where large and vertically high spaces require powerful lighting to ensure sufficient illumination. Unlike traditional incandescent bulbs, high bay LED lights can emit powerful light, even in vertically high positions. Additionally, high bay LED lights offer diverse installation methods, such as using chains, and hooks, or directly fixing them to the ceiling.
Common scenarios where high bay LED lights are used include warehouses, garages, refrigeration rooms, factories, department stores, malls, schools, sports halls, stadiums, stations, and commercial centers.
Why Choose High Bay LED Lights?
The numerous advantages of high bay LED lights are the reasons why most people choose them.
Energy efficiency: Compared to traditional incandescent bulbs or fluorescent lights, high bay LED lights use less energy to produce the same brightness. Choosing LED fixtures can significantly reduce electricity consumption, especially when combined with smart sensors.
Lifespan: Traditional lighting fixtures, such as incandescent bulbs or fluorescent lights, typically have lifespans ranging from 2000 to 10,000 hours. In contrast, LED lights can have an incredible lifespan of up to 50,000 hours.
Durability: High bay LED fixtures have IP65 ratings, making them suitable for use in humid environments, resistant to damage, and nearly indestructible.
Safety and Health: LED fixtures are currently considered environmentally friendly and safe, producing no harmful substances during use. They are also recyclable, aligning with international environmental protection principles.
Uniform illumination: With carefully designed optical devices and the layout of LED lights, high bay LED fixtures have a more uniform light distribution, reducing the number of fixtures needed while maintaining light quality standards. This provides good illumination and a comfortable visual experience.
High Color Rendering Index (CRI): LEDs come with different color rendering indices. For high bay LED lights, the CRI is generally above 85, ensuring clear visibility in work environments and higher safety.
Color Temperature: The calculation unit of color temperature is Kelvin (K for short). There are three main color temperatures of common LED lights, warm white light (2700-3500K), daylight (3500-4500K) and cool white light (greater than 4500K).
Different feelings brought by different color temperature values, as well as suitable scenes:
| Color Temperature | Range | Feeling | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm White Light | <3500 | The light is soft, giving people a comfortable and warm feeling, suitable for relaxation and leisure. | Bedrooms, dormitories, hotels, cafes and various places suitable for leisure |
| Nature White Light | 3500-4500 | The light is natural, soft and full of vitality, making people feel happy | Shops, schools, hospitals, restaurants, etc. |
| Cool White Light | >4500 | Close to natural light, bright and clear, allowing people to concentrate | Offices, conference rooms, classrooms, libraries, exhibition windows, workshops, warehouses and other places |
What Factors Should be Considered When Buying High Bay LED Lights?
For different usage scenarios, lighting needs vary. Here are some recommendations for using high bay LED lights in different scenarios:
1. Department Stores: If you need to upgrade the lighting environment in a department store, bright lights are essential to attract customers. For department stores, it is recommended to use high bay lights with a brightness of 15,000 lumens or more. This recommendation also applies to gyms and sports arenas.
2. Workshops or Factories: For workshops with precision production operations, it's crucial to choose lighting fixtures with a brightness of 15,000 lumens or even higher. This not only improves the working environment but also enhances the safety of the personnel. For general processing operations, high bay lights with a brightness of 10,000 lumens are usually sufficient.
3. Warehouses: For warehouses primarily used for storage, high bay lights with a brightness between 10,000 and 15,000 lumens are suitable to meet work requirements.
Types of High Bay LED Lights:
1. Circular High Bay LED Lights: Also known as UFO high bay LED lights, these are easy to install on high ceilings. They are popular due to their outstanding performance and powerful beams.
2. Linear High Bay LED Lights: These linear LED fixtures are commonly seen in warehouses and shops, suitable for complex spatial structures.
Wattage and Brightness:
High bay LED lights come in different wattages (50W, 100W, 200W), but what you should focus on is the brightness of the LED light. As LED technology continues to advance, the wattage of LED fixtures is expected to decrease. You can easily choose the appropriate high bay light installation based on the height.
Different heights require different wattage selections. Here are the recommended values:
- 12-16 Feet: For this height range, it is suitable to choose a brightness level between 12,000 - 15,000 lumens. The corresponding wattage for this brightness should be in the range of 80-100W.
- 17-24 Feet: In this height range, it is recommended to select a brightness level between 16,000 - 23,000 lumens. The corresponding wattage for this brightness should be in the range of 120-150W.
- 25-35 Feet: For heights in this range, it is advisable to choose a brightness level between 25,000 - 36,000 lumens. The corresponding wattage for this brightness should be in the range of 160-240W.
Spacing Between High Bay LED Lights:
The spacing between high bay LED lights is a crucial factor when choosing these lights. Here are recommendations for four common height scenarios that you can refer to in order to find the optimal spacing for your space:
15 Feet High: Approximately 12 feet of spacing can achieve high brightness with even light distribution. However, if you require normal brightness, a spacing of 15 feet should be sufficient.
20 Feet High: Around 15 feet of spacing can provide high brightness with uniform light. However, if you need normal brightness, a spacing of 20 feet should be adequate.
25 Feet High: Approximately 20 feet of spacing can deliver high brightness with even light distribution. However, if you require normal brightness, a spacing of 25 feet should be enough.
30 Feet High: About 25 feet of spacing can result in high brightness with uniform light distribution. However, if you need normal brightness, a spacing of 30 feet should be satisfactory.
This spacing distribution is suitable for circular and rectangular high bay LED fixtures. However, for spaces with complex shelving and structural layouts, using these two types of high bay lights may result in uneven light distribution, with light concentrating on the top of the shelves. Therefore, for warehouses and stores with complex spatial structures, linear high bay LED fixtures may be more suitable.
How Many High Bay LED Lights Do You Need?
Determining the number of high bay LED lights for your space can be a complex task. The right number of LED lights can bring about the best lighting effects. The number of fixtures to install depends on different situations: replacing old lighting equipment and installing new high bay lights.
Replacing Old Lighting Fixtures:
When replacing old lighting equipment without changing the original total brightness, it is best to use a one-to-one replacement method. For example, if the old equipment consists of 20 high bay lights with 80 watts each and an efficiency of 80 lumens per watt, it can deliver a total brightness of 128,000 lumens. If replacing them with 40-watt high bay LED lights with an efficiency of 140 lumens per watt, you would need approximately 20 fixtures. Therefore, when renovating old lighting equipment, you need to replace it with the same number of high bay LED lights, but the total wattage will decrease significantly.
Installing New Fixtures:
For installing new high bay LED fixtures, it is essential to focus more on the brightness of the LED lights rather than the wattage, taking into account the ceiling height.
- For ceilings between 10-15 feet, consider high bay LED lights with brightness between 10,000-15,000 lumens.
- For ceilings between 16-20 feet, high bay LED lights with brightness between 16,000-20,000 lumens are more suitable.
- For ceilings between 21-30 feet, high bay LED lights with brightness between 22,000-30,000 lumens can provide sufficient illumination.
In summary, through the information provided about high bay LED fixtures, you should now have a better understanding of these lights. By selecting the appropriate high bay LED lights and customizing the best lighting solution, you can provide a bright illumination environment for your warehouse, store, or factory.