Parking Garage Lighting
Whether it's for underground parking or a parking lot, it is essential to find the right lighting solution which can handle a wide range of functions; outstanding brightness 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, good navigation and an overall feeling of security. It has been proven that adequate parking garage lighting in areas such as exits or parking spaces contributes to better safety and security as a whole. The integration of intelligent lighting control systems, for example with sensors, enables the highly flexible use of light in accordance with requirements and fully utilizes the potential to save energy.
Whether it's for underground parking or a parking lot, it is essential to find the right lighting solution which can handle a wide range of functions; outstanding brightness 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, good navigation and an overall feeling of security. It has been proven that adequate parking garage lighting in areas such as exits or parking spaces contributes to better safety and security as a whole. The integration of intelligent lighting control systems, for example with sensors, enables the highly flexible use of light in accordance with requirements and fully utilizes the potential to save energy.
Which bulbs should be used for car parks and underground garages?
We recommend LEDs for car park lighting. With these, you save up to 90% electricity and thus energy costs due to their high efficiency compared to conventional lighting. Maintenance costs are also extremely reduced because LED fixtures have a much longer service life. So the purchase price pays for itself in no time! In addition, with LED you illuminate your underground car park or parking lot without mercury, because LED bulbs do not contain any toxic substances and are therefore environmentally friendly, recyclable and sustainable. What's more, LED car park lighting is also safe. They don't flicker or flicker, they don't emit UV or IR radiation, and there's no delay in switch-on time either!
Which LED fixtures are suitable for car park lighting?
Light creates confidence and safety. Therefore, it is advisable to illuminate parking spaces sufficiently to not only increase protection but also reduce the risk of accidents. Thanks to modern LED lighting, you can make targeted savings when you want to bring light into the darkness, as they are more energy-efficient and have a longer service life than lights without LED technology, such as fluorescent tubes or energy-saving lamps.
Which LED lighting is suitable for parking areas?
Parking spaces: Parking spaces and paths should always be well lit for safety reasons. Efficient lighting is more important on circulation areas for vehicles and pedestrians than on pure parking areas. Good lighting not only reduces the risk of accidents but also makes employees, customers and guests feel safe. Optimal solutions for this are LED floodlights and post-top lights with a wide beam angle for light sources such as SOX LED, SON high-pressure and CDO/CPO high-pressure sodium lamps. However, we recommend that you convert directly to LED bulbs. This will give you more pleasure from the lighting, as its service life is many times longer. In addition, you save energy and thus money with LEDs.
Underground garages and car parks: Car parks can be very interlocking and thus architecturally confusing. To reduce the risk of accidents between cars, pedestrians and pillars, underground car parks and multi-storey car parks should provide safety for drivers and pedestrians with the help of clearly recognisable signs, vehicles, lanes as well as doors, lifts and stairs. This safety is enhanced by general lighting and targeted zone lighting that highlights stairs or lifts, for example. Here, the UGR value is important so that accidents do not occur due to glare from the underground car park lighting.
Emergency lighting: According to EN12464-1: 2011, different areas in car parks require different amounts of light and types of lighting. Opt for vertical lighting options in car parks so that each area is well illuminated. For LED fixtures, pay attention to the IP and IK protection class, which describe water and dust protection as well as protection against mechanical impact. In addition, emergency lighting modules and motion sensors are also a great advantage. An emergency fixture can remain lit for up to several hours even in the absence of power.
Checklist for car park and underground car park lighting
- Go for LEDs as car park lights: Thanks to LEDs, you can save more energy, which in turn means that your electricity bill is lowered. In addition, LED bulbs are more durable than, for example, high-pressure sodium lamps. In addition, you benefit from freedom from maintenance when you switch to LEDs.
- IP and IK protection classes: IP stands for protection against contact and water protection, while IK describes protection against a mechanical impact. The higher the numbers, the higher the protection.
- Emergency lighting: Fixtures with an emergency function continue to light up even if the power is not present. In this way, people can get to safety without being left in the dark.
- Motion sensors: Sensor lamps only switch on when they detect movement. This saves additional energy and thus electricity costs.
- UGR < 25: The UGR value describes the glare of a fixture. For car park luminaires, a value of < 25 is ideal.
What should be considered when buying car park and underground car park lighting?
When installing car park lighting, there are some important regulations that you must observe. At least 20 lux should provide light for high traffic volumes, whereas 5 lux is sufficient for low traffic volumes.
Recommended illuminance levels for car park lights:
| Traffic zone | Illuminance in lux |
| Parking spaces | 15 |
| Entry and exit zone | 15 |
| Movement area | 15 |
| Storage space | 15 |
| Parking spaces on motorways | 9 |