Some settings require special lighting configurations and workshops are among them. The tasks that are performed in workshops need to have bright, high-quality lighting because they require precision. In some cases, these tasks can be dangerous without the proper lighting setup.
Not only that, a light fixture used in these areas needs to be durable enough that it can withstand impacts. In some cases, it even needs to be resistant to explosions or dust and water.
Despite all of these complicated needs, shop lights are a very simple, yet effective, lighting solution. Shop lights are most commonly found in garages in workshops, hence the name shop lights, but are not limited to those facilities.
Chances are that if you currently have shop lights, they’re probably fluorescent fixtures. Fluorescents were once known for being an energy-efficient lighting choice with a long lifespan.
And, due to their bright, white light, they’re perfect for precision tasks. However, in today’s world, that’s no longer the case. With LED technology becoming more and more prevalent, fluorescent lighting is headed toward extinction.
These days, LEDs are the go-to for all commercial lighting and industrial lighting applications, including Shop Lights. But why are LED Shop lights such a popular choice? And what do you need to know about them before you buy them?
We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to LED shop lights so that you can make an informed decision that benefits you, your business, and your employees.
Let us Calculate an Ideal Work Shop Lighting Layout Using Your Foot Candle Requirement.
Get a Free Lighting Plan Today.
LED Lights are the Better Shop Lighting Option
To make a long story short, LED lights outperform every other type of bulb across all categories. Not only do advancements in technology allow them to provide better, brighter light, but they also save you money at the same time.
And, in fact, the most obvious and popular reason to replace old fixtures with LED lights is to save money. LEDs were designed to be efficient.
They use minimal energy to produce a much brighter light than more traditional bulb types, and they don’t emit any heat. This helps cut both electrical and cooling costs.
LED Fixtures also have a much longer lifespan than other types of fixtures, saving money on maintenance costs. You don’t have to worry about the hassle of changing the light and disposing of the old bulbs because LED lights have an average lifespan of 50,000 hours and don’t contain harmful chemicals.
LEDs offer many more benefits than just saving you money. Shop lights are typically positioned low to the ground in order to provide an adequate shine.
Are LED Lights Better than Fluorescent Lights?
Yes, for many reasons. First, they should reduce your shop’s energy bill by 50% or more. They will last a very long time, so there’s no need to replace the tubes and spend the money to recycle them. And, there are no more flickering, strobing, or humming ballasts. LEDs are silent and flicker-free.
What are the Benefits of Using LED Lighting?
With LED, you can expect lower energy bills and much lower maintenance costs. You should also expect bright, high-quality light. The lights will not flicker, and you do not have to worry about noisy ballast hum. With the right lights, you can dim or brighten the light.
What are Some Features to Look for in a Commercial Shop Light?
If you need a high-impact fixture, we recommend a UFO high bay or low bay fixture. If you’re looking for waterproof or dustproof, make sure it’s IP65 or higher, or choose a vapor proof fixture. Motion sensors with dimming – we have those options as well. High voltage – we can supply up to 480 Volts.
Where are Commercial Shop Lights Used?
There isn’t a particular feature of lights used in a shop that makes them just shop lights. There are lights we would consider using in a shop that make sense more than other options.
You can install “shop lights” in home garages, pole barns, metal shops, and loading docks. For the most part, these are larger open areas with low ceiling heights.
Do LED Shop Lights Have Ballasts?
No. Ballasts are a technology associated with metal halide and fluorescent lighting. They do have LED drivers, and they sort of act the same way as a ballast. They convert AC power from the utility company to DC power to drive the LEDs.
9 Factors to Consider Before Buying LED Lights for Your Workshop
1. What Efficacy (lumens Per Watt) Do You Need?
Efficacy defines a light’s ability to produce a certain amount of light. LED shop lights are available in a range between 100 and 180 lumens/watt. The higher the efficacy (lumens/watt), the fewer watts the fixture needs to consume to produce the needed light levels.
While the initial cost of an LED light with a high efficacy rating may be slightly higher, the payback period and reduced utility bill will more than offset this negligible additional cost.
If one of your primary concerns about switching to LED lights is the ability to find a light that’s as bright as your current ones, have no fear.
Generally speaking, LEDs have a much, much higher efficacy rating than other bulbs, so even if the wattage is less than the fixture you have now, the light will be significantly brighter.
Our selection of LED lights for shops ranges from 3000 lumens to 40,000+ lumens per light, so you can replace any light with something just as bright, if not brighter.
Higher efficacy LEDs will save you more money. Over the life of a product, the higher efficiency product will be the best choice. The higher cost will pay itself off and back many times over during its lifespan.
2. How Many Lumens Does Your Shop Need?
Because LEDs can give off a brighter light using less energy, watts are not a good measurement to evaluate your replacement lights.
Even a fluorescent light, which is the most energy-efficient next to LEDs, uses a considerably larger amount of energy to produce a less powerful shine. For this reason, we recommend paying attention to the lumens you’ll require instead of the watts.
The best way to do this is to create a photometric lighting plan using your shop space. A lighting plan takes the dimensions of your building, (length, width, and height) and other factors and creates a realistic software-based representation of the light.
From there, you can add your existing light locations, and then model updates and changes with different LED lighting fixtures. This allows you to see your space and how it would look with new and improved LED Lighting.
It eliminates the risk of purchasing too many or too few lights and lets you map out your ideal lighting setup.
Any switch to LEDs will be a huge improvement over older bulb types. But to really experience the magic of LED lighting, it’s important to create a custom lighting scheme that is designed specifically to suit your facility.
3. Choose a Shop Light Style.
LED shop lights are available in a wide variety of fixture types. They are just like any other LED lighting solution with each type serving a unique purpose. We present the top three LED shop light options below from which you can choose the perfect one for your area.
Surface Mount
These lights are canopy-style low bays that can mount directly to the ceiling of any shop area.
These lights are considered ‘low bays’ and are designed for mounting heights that are less than 20 feet high. Many of these lights come with a color tuning option, so you can pick the color temperature you like best.
Hardwired Shop Lights
This style of Shop Light provides bright and general lighting in workspaces. These can be connected with hardwired fixtures via j-box connections.
We also carry plug-in models of Shop Lights that are easy to install as you can plug them directly into any electrical box.
4-foot Shop Lights
This shop light variety is for those who prefer linear strip lighting. Its 4-foot length makes it perfect for spaces like storerooms, hallways, and warehouses.
You can either mount these lights directly to the ceiling directly or suspend them with chains for low lighting. This may be the best LED style to choose replace fluorescent shop lights.
8-foot Shop Lights
If you want to double the length of the 4-foot shop lights for larger areas, this is the one to get. Like their smaller counterparts, these integrated LED strip lights are used for general lighting.
You can replace your 8-foot fluorescent bulbs with these LED lights for better lumen output and shinier luminance.
4. What are Wet Location (IP Rated) Shop Fixtures?
An IP rating designates a fixture’s ability to keep out both dust and water. Unlike a wet rating, an IP rating provides specific grades of water resistance so that you can be positive you’re making the right decision. The first digit of the IP score represents dust protection, while the second number signifies water protection.
LED Lighting Supply offers IP ratings of IPx5 to IPx69K (x = dust protection level). This allows you to install these fixtures outdoors where they are exposed to the elements. So if you need wet-rated LED Shop lights, choose a light that is IP65 or higher.
- IP68 is for full, permanent submersion in water up to 13 feet.
- IP67 is for temporary underwater submersion – limited to 3 feet deep – for no longer than 30 minutes.
- IP65 protects against water jets at any angle.
5. What is the Highest Voltage I Can Get a Shop Light In?
High-voltage fixtures are designed to mitigate energy usage over a long distance. This makes them especially helpful in large areas where the light is far from the power source.
The constant current drivers that we carry are equipped to handle everything from 100 Volts up to 480 Volts.
For reference, a standard driver in our fixtures and retrofit kits can handle anywhere from 100V to 277V. If you’re concerned about high voltage capacities, double-check with the manufacturer to ensure that the light will suit your needs.
6. What Kelvin Color Temperature Should You Choose?
Color temperature is a definition of the color appearance of light. Most white light produced by light sources has a limited amount of other non-white colors.
- Warm white light colors have a yellow/red/orange glow.
- Cool white lights have a blue hue.
- On a spectrum between warm light and cool light is daylight white, the most popular of all light colors.
Finding the Right Color Temperature to Illuminate Your Shop.
As you can see, LEDs come in a wide range of color temperatures. Which color is best for you will depend on the application. However, generally, in working environments, a blue-toned light is better, while warmed-toned lights work best for ambient lighting needs.
- If you are replacing Metal Halide and want a similar look, choose 5000K.
- To find something slightly warmer, look for a fixture that has 4000K.
- Stay away from anything over 5500K, which may be too bright, or less than 4000K, which is likely not adequate.
Many of our shop lights are color-selectable, so you can decide to change after you buy.
7. What is the Ideal Color Rendering Index (CRI) for Shop Lights?
Unlike Kelvins, Color Rendering Index doesn’t disclose the color of light, but rather how colors under that light will appear compared to sunlight.
When it comes to HID lamps and fluorescent fixtures, people often find that it’s hard to determine the true color of objects. Light color is extremely important in low bay fixtures, like LED lights because it has a huge impact on clarity and contrast.
Picking the Ideal CRI
The typical CRI range of LEDs is 70-85. You can request custom CRI lights from us. However, a 70 CRI light can serve almost all general lighting needs.
Get high CRI lights in the 80-90+ range if you want higher color identification in your area.
8. How Can You Get Optimal and Balanced Light Distribution?
Well, the easiest way to do this is to use a shop lighting plan. But it’s always a good idea to have some base knowledge about light distribution. The beam angle of a fixture is what determines the distribution of light.
- A wide beam angle produces a better light distribution than a narrow-focused beam angle. This is ideal for large interior spaces, low ceiling mounts, and general lighting.
- A narrow beam angle produces tighter, concentrated light. It’s a good solution for higher ceiling mounts and task lighting.
- For lower ceiling applications, like garages and workshops, we recommend a wide beam distribution to offset the lower ceiling mounting heights and adequately cover the area.
9. Do You Need Lighting Controls like Motion Sensors?
“Need” may be a strong word, but any business would benefit from the addition of lighting controls. According to Energy Star, waste accounts for 30% of all energy utilized in buildings.
Light systems can help enhance energy-saving measures through specialized light control features. Light controls can also increase security while simultaneously enhancing the comfort of the building’s occupants. Motion sensors ensure that your lights are never in use when they’re not needed and help to cut back on electrical costs by only turning the lights on when movement is detected.
Just switching to LED shop lights can help save up to 80% in energy costs but light controls can help reduce energy wastage even further and increase savings even more. Use light controls to enhance energy efficiency and control of your lighting.
About the Author
Cory Peterson is VP of Marketing & Sales Operations at LED Lighting Supply, focusing on improving customer journey. Cory uses his product and industry insights to write about commercial, industrial and sports topics relevant to contractors and facility managers. Cory enjoys traveling, snorkeling, exercising, and cooking in his free time.