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Nobody wants to walk across a parking lot with poor lighting and large pools of darkness. If this describes your parking lot, it’s well past time to upgrade. Optimizing your shoebox fixtures improves security for both employees and customers. Now, you might be thinking that this means you have to completely replace all of your fixtures. Not necessarily. If your fixtures are in good shape, all you need to do is retrofit them with LED bulbs. In this post, we’ll take a look at the best options for retrofitting shoebox fixtures.
Economical Option: LED Corn Bulbs
For a quick replacement that won’t put a strain on your bank account, LED corn bulbs are the most economical retrofitting option. Getting their name from the rows of LEDs that make up the body of the bulb, these lamps come in a variety of wattages and outputs. Operating directly off line voltage, LED corn bulbs require the removal of the fixture’s ballast during installation. Removing the ballast not only eliminates compatibility issues and a potential failure point, but also reduces the overall wattage of the fixture.
When selecting LED corn bulbs for your fixtures, be sure to check the size of the bulbs. These bulbs vary in size, with higher wattage bulbs being fairly large. We recommend measuring the inside of your shoebox fixture so you know how much space is available.
One-for-One Replacement Option: ED LED Replacement Bulbs
While LED corn bulbs are economical, you may not always be able to find one that will fit in your area light. For a one-for-one replacement option, look for ED LED replacement bulbs. Utilizing LED sticks similar to the ones used for LED filament bulbs, these bulbs are designed to match the size and shape of standard HID bulbs. Like the LED corn bulbs, these bulbs operate without a ballast to provide you the same energy and maintenance savings.
Because ED LED replacement bulbs so closely match the look of the bulbs they are replacing, you won’t be able to tell much of a difference between fixtures that have been retrofitted and those that haven’t. Plus, you won’t have to worry about a bulb being too large for your shoebox.
Best Option: Wall Pack/Area Light Retrofits
The best option for retrofitting shoebox fixtures are LED wall pack and area light retrofit bulbs. Unlike the previous two options, these lamps provide directional light. The bulbs are designed with multiple rows of LED diodes, similar to corn bulbs. However, the diodes only cover one side of the bulb. During installation, the base rotates to allow you to point the lit side straight down. This ensures that all of the light being produced is aimed at the ground and not lost within the fixture. Like the other retrofit options, these lamps don’t require a ballast to operate.
Honorable Mention: LED Retrofit Panel and Driver Kit
One final option for upgrading existing shoebox fixtures is LED retrofit panel and driver kits. Operating without a ballast, these high-output kits replace 1000-Watt metal halide bulbs and consist of a driver box with a screw base and a LED panel. After the ballast has been bypassed, the driver box screws into the lamp socket. Then using the adhesive backing, the LED panel is attached to the inside of the glass lens. All of the diodes face out, ensuring that 100% of the directional light is aimed out of the fixture.
For help choosing the right options for your shoebox fixtures, call 1-800-624-4488 to speak with one of our US-based lighting experts.
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