Stadium Lighting and How LED Can Help with Costs and Environmental Concerns

LED lighting has taken the world by storm in just about every area of life. From shopping malls to car dealerships, LED solutions are a mainstay just about everywhere you look. When it comes to sports stadiums, the jump to LED was a longer journey with many having their doubts about LED. Let's take a closer look at stadium lighting and how LED can help with costs and environmental concerns.

Doubts and Drawbacks

When it comes to stadium lighting and how LED can help with costs and environmental concerns, it took years for many doubters to get on board. Part of the concern was that LED fixtures cost more up front than the traditional metal halide fixtures previously used in stadium lighting. This concern was wiped out in recent years as stadium owners realized that LED lasts almost twice the life span of metal halide in most cases.

Another concern many had about LED for stadium lighting was the way the light looked on television. Since LED offers a somewhat softer glow than traditional metal halide, there was concern it wouldn't translate well for televised stadium events. With time, television evolved and now LED stadiums look just as bright and vivid as any other option. LED is even the preferred lighting choice when it comes to displaying an event on television because it is more vibrant and offers better color rendering indexes.

Benefits of LED for Stadiums

There are a ton of reason why stadiums should switch to LED fixtures. Here are a few of the main reasons LED fixtures are quickly becoming a mainstay in stadium lighting.

Environmental Impacts

• Mercury-free. LEDs are free from harmful mercury. Mercury can lead to serious health side effects and negatively impact the planet. Since LED doesn't use mercury as part of its design or operation, it is definitely the more environmentally friendly option over mercury lighting solutions.
• Uses less electricity. LEDs are incredibly efficient in their operation with virtually no heat loss. This means that the power an LED fixture consumes is used primarily to create the required lumens rather than heat loss. LEDs offer some of the highest lumen outputs with some of the lowest wattages consumed for an option that uses less electricity. The use of less electricity is always better for the environment as it cuts down on strain to the resources of the planet.
• Lasts longer to cut back on waste. The lamps and the fixtures last longer than other options on the market which helps to reduce overall waste. If a stadium has to constantly change out bulbs or broken fixtures, this will certainly accumulate a lot of metal, glass, and plastic-based waste. LED lasts a long time to help reduce waste overall.

Costs

• Lower utility cost overall. While the matter of using less energy is certainly an environmental impact, it is also a cost impact worth considering. LEDs use less energy to create the same or better illumination quality than comparable options that use more electricity. This will save on utility costs each month for the life of the LED fixture.
• Lasts longer to cut down on replacement costs. The matter of replacement lamps and fixtures is also a factor in cost benefits of LED. Since the fixtures last a long time, there is no need to buy costly replacement fixtures in a few years. The same goes for the light bulbs. LED lamps can last upwards of 50,000 hours so there aren't as many replacement lamp costs.

Lower Maintenance

• Durable and rated for the area. Another benefit of LED for stadium lighting is that LED is incredibly durable. LED fixtures are made to last and that means durable lenses, long-lasting internal components for maximum performance, and sturdy housings. LED is also rated for the toughest environments which makes it ideal for outdoor stadium lighting.
• Lamps last longer. The lamps lasting longer is great for the environment and overall costs, but it is also better for the maintenance crew! The crew won't have to make as many lamp changes during the life of the fixture since LED lamps last such a long time.
• Fixtures are pretty much maintenance-free and run on a driver. Since LED fixtures are made to last for years without issues, these fixtures are pretty much maintenance free whereas options with a ballast over a driver may be more prone to issues. This means the maintenance crew will have one less thing to worry about in terms of the stadium staying in great shape.

There are so many benefits of using LED lighting in stadiums from the environmental to the cost. LED offers such a clean, consistent light source, so there is no reason not to install LED fixtures in your stadium.