There are several factors that might reflect how the light is going to perform at any particular place. You need to completely ensure these factors prior to buying high bay LED lights. 

For starters, you must know about what you are dealing with.

What are high bay LED lights?

The LED lights that are used for illuminating locations with tall ceilings are called high bay LED lights. Ideally, a ceiling that is 20 feet or above high requires high bay LED lights. These lights disperse illumination from a wide beam angle. Some popular lighting options as high bay lights are

• LED
• Fluorescent
• Metal halide

Types of high bay LED lights

Mainly high bay LED lights are of two types, namely linear high bay LED light and UFO LED high bay light. Both are effectively efficient in terms of performance and durability. The requirement of these lights can depend on the locations where these lights are supposedly going to be placed.

Linear high bay LED light

A linear high bay lighting fixture is used in locations with tall ceilings. Some popular locations to use a liner high bay light are gymnasiums, parking premises, garages, carports, etcetera. However, the light has a limitation for use as they are not applicable for locations beyond a certain amount of height.

UFO LED high bay light

UFO LED high bay lights are also ideal for placing in locations with tall ceilings. They are commonly used in warehouses, factories, garages, departmental stores, airports, etcetera. These lights are suitable for locations with about 40 feet high ceilings.

Common locations where high bay LED lights are used

High bay LED lights are commonly used in several locations like:

• Warehouse
• Factory
• Gymnasium
• Departmental store
• Airport
• Parking premise
• Basketball court
• Barn
• Carport
• Workshop etcetera

Factors affecting the performance of high bay LED light

Lumens efficacy of the light

The lumen efficacy of the LED light ensures how efficiently the light can illuminate the premises by converting energy into light. Not just that, the lumens output indicates how your work surface is going to look with the particular LED light. The requirement of high lumen intensity LED lights can downsize the light's wattage requirement, and the efficacy is measured in lumens per watt.

Color temperature of the light

Measured in Kelvins, the color temperature of the light indicated what color the light would disperse. LED lights emitting lower color temperatures like 2500K to 4000K CCT disperse a warmer color light like yellow or more towards the red side of the CTT scale. Similarly, LED lights with higher color temperatures like 4500K to 5700K CTT disperses a more balanced yet neutral color light like white or blueish-white. Depending upon the use and requirement, the CTT requirement fluctuates. In the high bay LED light scenario, lights on the white or blueish side of the scale are supposedly the apt ones as they help in creating a suitable lighting environment that promotes productivity and comfort. Simultaneously, high bay LED lights with high temperatures reduce the chances of straining the eyes by creating a day-like environment.

Foot candles

To measure the lighting level of the location, ensuring footcandles is a must. One footcandle equals 10.76 lumens, ensuring how many lumens are required to illuminate the area. The footcandles can make or break the deal in the high bay LED light scenario. Suppose you choose less lumen output lights in a location with a more footcandle count, it will end up in a partially visible environment where people will struggle while focusing on the objects.

The table indicates how many footcandles a particular location contains

CRI (Color Rendering Index) of the light

The color rendering index of the light reflects how well you can see the objects in their natural colors. LED high bay lights with higher CRI help maintain a neutral working environment as they are ideal for enhancing visibility with a non-dominating appeal.

The lifespan of the light

Focusing on the lifespan of the high bay LED light is a must, as changing the fixture every now and then is the least you want for your commercial space because you already have so much on your plate. By choosing LED lights as the prominent fixture for your high bay location, you will get the benefit of about 50,000 hours of lifespan that will not let the fixture die any sooner.

How many high bay LED lights are required to illuminate the premises sufficiently?

This is one of the most necessary factors that can affect the visibility and light performance in the high bay location. Focusing on the requirement of high bay LED lights is a must. Depending on the room's dimensions, the number of LED lights required for the high bay area can fluctuate. Whether you talk about a room’s height or the space, it contains, nothing is minor in this case.

Room’s height

The height at which the light is going to be mounted can reflect its capacity. The taller the ceiling height gets, the high the lumen light it will require to illuminate the premise effortlessly. The following table will help you get a clear idea of how this phenomenon works:

Available space

Creating space layout for placing the high bay LED lights is a must as this will reflect the visibility. The lights should neither be placed too far nor too close as, in both cases, it will end up creating a non-suitable environment. For instance, if the high bay LED lights are placed too far, it will reduce the visibility. Simultaneously, a compact light placement will glare the environment, and focusing on the task and objects will be hard. Thus, to make sure that the lights are evenly lighting the premises you must follow the recommended spacing plan mentioned in the table below:

How the lighting pattern is affected by cross-over lighting?

When the light is dispersed from multiple angles, this process is called cross-over lighting. Doing so helps increase visibility in the particular premises by eliminating the shadows. To make sure that no shadows are forming, you should prefer setting up lights in 3 directions.

By following the cross-over lightning pattern, the overall illumination or lighting pattern in the high bay area will improve.

The UFO LED high bay lights possess a circular lighting pattern and are suitable for the premise because you can control them. Similarly, in the linear high bay LED light scenario, the light disperses evenly with a wider beam angle.

How to use the high bay lights in an energy-efficient manner?

Nowadays, LED lights are available with several efficient features that are ideal from an energy-efficiency perspective. Lights with features like motion sensor, dimmable feature, tunable CCT, auto on/off, IP-65 rating, etcetera are eligible to save your total power consumption. You can use the high bay LED lights that contain these features as they will make sure to work effectively and efficiently in your high bay locations while keeping the energy efficiency approach in mind.

Is it possible to retrofit LED bulbs in existing high bay LED lighting fixtures?

If you are not willing to replace the existing warehouse lighting fixture, you can always prefer the retrofit LED bulbs. With the retrofit option, you are no longer required to change or update the fixtures as the retrofit LED lights are available for several lighting options, including high bay LED lights.

Why choosing LED lights as high bay lightings are advantageous?

Choosing LED lights for the high bays can be advantageous in many ways like - 

• Contains higher lumen output
• Does not emit UV rays
• Does not contain mercury
• Neither dim nor glares
• Flicker-free
• Has a cooler color temperature

Conclusion:

Concluding the blog by stating that high bay LED lights are undoubtedly the best lighting fixtures that helps in illuminating the tall ceiling premises perfectly. However, some necessary factors can affect how the light will work, and you should focus on them prior to installing the high bay LED lights to ensure that you get a well-illuminated environment where you don’t struggle in terms of focusing on your work.