Flood Lights

LED flood lights are characterized by their energy efficiency and long service life. They can achieve electricity savings of over 60% when used instead of HID floodlights, and they last 5 to 10 times longer. They can greatly reduce your outdoor lighting costs, while saving many lamp replacements over time.

When outdoor areas don’t have adequate lighting, accidents tend to increase. Due to the lack of visibility, people can fall more easily and vehicle collisions are more likely. Areas with little or no lighting are also an easy target for criminals and trespassers in general. These issues are easily solved with outdoor LED flood lights, which can be installed on almost any surface.

Other than being used for security lighting, flood lights also have creative applications. For example, they can illuminate architectural features at night, or they can be used along with landscaping. Flood lights can be automated with photocells or motion sensors, and they are compatible with many types of lighting controls.

If you’re looking for outdoor LED flood lights in Canada, Lumenco has a wide product selection from some of the best brands in the industry.

Types of Flood Lights

Flood lights can be classified by their lamp type and lumen output, and they cover multiple applications. They range from compact floodlights you can use in your backyard, to much larger flood lights that are designed for outdoor spaces like stadiums and industrial parks.

The most common lamp types used by outdoor flood lights are metal halide (MH), high-pressure sodium (HPS), and LED.

• Metal halide flood lights are characterized by their potent light beam and their clear white tone. However, their electricity consumption is very high, and MH bulbs normally need a replacement in less than 10,000 hours.

• High pressure sodium flood lights are slightly more efficient than MH lights, and they also have a longer service life, lasting up to 24,000 hours. Unlike MH bulbs, which produce clear white light, HPS bulbs can be identified by their yellow tone. The downside of HPS lights is their reduced lighting quality.

LED flood lights have the highest energy efficiency and the longest service life. For example, you can replace a 750W MH fixture with a 240W LED flood light, achieving the same lighting effect with one-third of the power consumption. They also have a typical service life of 50,000 - 100,000 hours.

Purchasing the Best LED Flood Lights for Your Project

LED flood lights are reliable and versatile, but only if you purchase quality products. You must also make sure that the floodlights selected are suitable for the project you have in mind.

• You can find quality floodlights with MH or HPS bulbs, but LED is the best option. Other than having a higher efficiency and longer service life, LED flood lights don’t have a warm-up period when switched on, or a cooldown period when switched off - this makes them much more reliable.

• If your flood lights will be exposed to the weather, which is normally the case, you must look for a product with the right enclosure. You need a flood light with a weatherproof housing, made of a durable and corrosion-proof material like polycarbonate or aluminum.

• Make sure that the lumen output of LED flood lights is suitable for the application. Undersized flood lights will not provide enough lighting, but oversized lights represent a waste of electricity - even if they use LEDs. Excessive lighting can also cause glare, reducing visibility and increasing the risk of accidents.

Flood lights should also have an adequate beam shape for the application. For example, if you need to cover a large area, flood lights with a broad beam are the best option. On the other hand, if you need plenty of lighting in a specific location, a flood light with a focused beam is more effective.

As mentioned above, flood lights have multiple applications. They are used in places like construction sites, parking lots, streets, industrial parks, stadiums, arenas and concert stages. There are also compact floodlight options, which are suitable for backyards, gardens, walkways, and similar locations.

How Are LED Flood Lights Installed?

Flood lights can be installed on many surfaces, and this is a key feature that makes them so useful for outdoor lighting. They have mounting brackets that can be used on walls, rooftops, and even outdoor floors. Flood lights can also be installed on many materials - including steel, concrete and wood. If you want to use LED flood lights, there are two main options:

• Using LED outdoor flood light bulbs to retrofit existing fixtures that use MH or HPS bulbs.

• Installing new floodlights with integrated LEDs. For example, if you were planning to use 1000W MH lamps, you can install 300 watt LED outdoor flood lights instead.

LED retrofit bulbs are cost-effective in buildings that already have floodlights installed, since there is no need to replace the existing fixtures completely. Integrated LED floodlights are normally recommended in new constructions and major renovations - if you must purchase new light fixtures anyway, it makes sense to look for the most efficient and durable options.

How Are Flood Lights Controlled?

Flood lights can be switched manually like any lighting system, but two control methods are very common for outdoor lighting systems. They can be equipped with photocells, which activate when there is no sunlight, or with motion sensors. It is also possible to combine both control methods, so the flood lights will only respond to human presence at night.

When combined with automatic controls, LED flood lights have a major advantage over MH and HPS bulbs. LEDs can be switched on and off with no limitations, while MH and HPS bulbs have a warm-up period and a restrike time. LEDs can reactivate immediately and at full brightness if the power supply is interrupted, but this is not possible with other lamps - they have a cooldown period and the area is left in the dark.