LED Lighting Makes Sports Fields Shine

Evening sporting events are great for the school and the community. However, keeping a sports field properly illuminated can be costly and challenging. Schools around the country are realizing the many benefits of upgrading sports field lighting to LEDs.

• Better lumen maintenance. Traditional metal halide fixtures have poor lumen maintenance. They lose up to 40% of their lumen output as they age. LED lumen maintenance is at least 95% over the same time period.
• Light where you need it. LED lighting is very directional. All of the light exits the fixture. A significant portion of light from metal halide lamps gets trapped inside the fixture.
• Improved visibility. LED light quality is generally better than metal halide lighting with quartz lamps. The improved light quality offers better visibility even at reduced lumen output.
• Cold temperature performance. LED performance thrives in cold conditions. This is perfect for late fall and early spring sporting events.
• Instant on. LEDs come to full brightness instantly compared to metal halide lighting, which requires 30 minutes or more.

Technology advances make LEDs shine

LED sports lighting has come a long way. Lumen output easily ranges from 80,000 to over 160,000 lumens. Efficacy is over 100 lumens per watt even at color rendering index (CRI) ratings approaching 80. Built-in Bluetooth™ low energy telemetry or Wi-Fi connectivity is available that monitors health, energy consumption and status of each light fixture.

Lighting controls result in even more energy savings. LED lighting is much easier dimmed and can be programmed for synchronized light and music shows. Colored light can be integrated with white light in the same fixture. Even for existing HID lighting, though, there are several devices on the market that allow staff to turn the lights on and off from a device such as a smart phone.

Optimizing savings and performance

Careful light selection, layout, design and installation are critical for a successful upgrade. The following checklist can help you optimize system savings and performance:

• Define how the facility is going to be used.
• Consider the environment constraints (spill light, physical obstacles and field safety considerations).
• Select the required light level, color quality, uniformity ratio and glare restrictions.
• Consider fixture energy efficiency (efficacy), light distribution pattern, mast height and light trespass.
• Create a lighting maintenance plan.

The Illuminating Engineering Society provides recommendations for equipment selection, light levels and design considerations for different types of sports venues and sporting activities. See Lighting Sports and Recreational Areas for more information. We've assisted many schools and businesses optimize their LED lighting by utilizing Greenback Rebate dollars to offset costs. If you're interested in learning how we can help offset the cost of your next energy efficiency project, please reach out to your Dynegy sales executive.