Parking lot lighting is critical for maintaining a safe and secure environment. Even outdoor parking lots need lighting, because of the seasonal variability in sunlight. In the Seattle area, in the winter it can start getting dark as early as 4 PM, making parking lot lights necessary even for businesses that only stay open til 5 or 6 PM.
If your parking lot is used 24/7, such as in a residential building, parking lot lights are an absolute must year round. For underground parking garages, lighting becomes even more important due to the lack of natural sunlight.
Any commercial, condo or apartment building with a parking lot will need parking lot lighting. Employees and customers need to feel comfortable parking their cars and walking into businesses. Residents need to safely and comfortably get from their cars to their homes.
Parking Lot Lighting Increases Safety
Adequate lighting in the parking area increases safety and decreases crime. “Smash and grab” crimes are common both in urban and suburban environments. Out-of-the-way parking areas are frequently used for illegal drug transactions and other shady deals in part because such areas are usually poorly lit, don’t have many people around and are easy to get to and leave from anonymously.
Physical safety is also a real concern. People in general and women in particular are wary of dimly lit parking lots because of the ease with which a potential attacker can hide and surprise them. Making sure your parking lot is well lit can go a long way toward counteracting real and imagined threats.
Having adequate lighting in your parking area will lead to customers, employees and residents who are more comfortable being on-site, and greater satisfaction with your building in general. Good lighting can also help you avoid potential litigation or accusations of negligence in the case of an unfortunate event happening in your parking area.
Lighting Installation
Your lighting needs to be dependable and last a long time. Ideally it will use as little electricity as possible and won’t be expensive to maintain.
Typically LED lights can lower your overall electricity costs significantly over other bulb options. Even with LED lights, you need to make sure you are choosing high quality, dependable fixtures that are installed properly in order to avoid ongoing headaches and repair bills.
Each parking lot is slightly different from any other. You need a dependable contractor who can guide you in choosing the best parking lot lighting fixtures, bulbs and installation methods. OHM Electrical Contracting has years of experience reliably installing and servicing lighting for parking lots and much more. We can even help you install security cameras at the same time as new or upgraded lighting. We are happy to walk you through each step of the process.
Contact OHM today to get started!