Parking lot lighting is a complicated process. Not for the weak at heart. The first thing you must know is that the delivery of light poles is very slow. Sometimes taking as long as 4-6 weeks. So you must plan your project accordingly. There are two types of light sources available metal halide (white light: at gas stations, football games) or high pressure sodium (yellowish orange light: most high way lighting) and you must decide which is best for you. Both light sources have good points. Metal halide most of the time is the choice for lighting parking lots because it shows the true colors of the products being offered. You get the feeling of being out in the daylight when you are under metal halide lights. High pressure sodium on the other hand seems to wash out colors making it difficult to see the real product. With high pressure sodium you get a few benefits that most people don't know about, such as more lumens per bulb, (ex 400 watt ---50000 lumens compared to 36000 lumens for metal halide) less light depreciation ( from 50000 down to 45000 for high pressure sodium and 36000 down to 24000 for metal halide) longer bulb life, (30000 hours compared to 20000 hours metal halide) so as you see high pressure sodium can also be a good choice.
Next you must have a plan (lighting layout) for your project such as where and how many light poles and lights you will need. Twenty to twenty five light poles are the normal choice for most parking lot projects. 20 foot light pole and 25 foot light pole are good examples of these choices. These heights are usually used with 400 watt light fixtures with 1 light, 2 light, 3 light or 4 light configurations available. If you need a 1000 watt fixture you must go to a larger pole such as a 30 foot light pole or larger because of the intensity of the light. Mounting heights can very from project to project. For figuring the amount of light poles and spacing for them you can use the rule of thumb, which is twice the mounting height (ex: 20 foot pole you can space them 40 feet apart). This is a good place for you to start. We can help you figure out the rest.
Light fixture types are the next choice for you to make. Basically there are two choices, shoebox light fixtures (fixtures that are mounted at 90 degrees to the pole) or flood lights ( which are mounted more upright).Outdoor Light fixtures has both examples. The picture on the left is a flood light and the one on the right is a shoebox style. Either fixture can be a good choice depending on the application that you have. Shoebox style light fixtures have reflectors that can be changed out for different light distribution. The forward throw style ( reflects the light down and forward, less back light glare) wide angle (more of a left to right light pattern). Hopefully this will help you get started on your parking lot light project. For more info and help Give us a call at 1-888-683-8825 or stop by and visit our website AffordableLighting.com