Commercial Outdoor Lighting

Commercial outdoor LED covers perimeter, parking, area, pathway, and site lighting. Higher durability stakes than indoor — these fixtures take weather, vandalism, and access challenges most indoor fixtures never see. They also typically run longer daily hours, so the energy savings story compounds faster. This guide is what you need before you spec.

LED replaced HPS, metal halide, and mercury vapor as the outdoor commercial standard.

Energy. Savings vs. HPS routinely hit 60–75%. A 150W LED area light delivers more usable light than a 400W HPS at less than 40% of the wattage.

Maintenance. Outdoor fixtures are hard to reach. 50,000-hour LED lifespan vs. 15,000–20,000 hours for HPS means fewer bucket-truck trips.

Compliance. Modern LED meets dark sky requirements, Title 24, and municipal ordinances that older HID can't pass.

Cold weather. LED comes on instantly at -40°F. HPS and metal halide need 5–15 minutes to warm up. Important for motion-activated security.

Outdoor fixtures run 10–14 hours a day, every day. Annual savings per fixture typically run 1.5–2x indoor equivalents.

Our commercial outdoor lighting collection is filterable by application, mount type, wattage, photocell compatibility, IP rating, and brand. Many GradeONE outdoor SKUs ship same day.

Sourcing for a parking lot retrofit or perimeter security? Start with the application filter. Replacement project? Search by wattage equivalent or pole/mount type.

LED Area Lights (Shoebox) — Pole-mounted fixtures for parking lots, open sites, and roadway lighting. Common wattages: 100W (replaces 250W metal halide), 150W (replaces 400W MH), 200–300W (replaces 600–1000W MH). Slip-fitter or arm mount. Many ship with built-in photocell or motion sensor options.

LED Wall Pack Lights — Building perimeter, loading dock, entryway, and dusk-to-dawn coverage. Available in semi-cutoff and full-cutoff (dark sky compliant) variants. Common wattages 30W, 50W, 80W, 120W. Photocell-equipped models switch on at dusk, off at dawn. The most-shopped outdoor SKU type.

LED Flood Lights — Directional fixtures for security, façade washing, signage, and athletic lighting. Yoke mount for adjustable aim. 100W to 600W+. IP65 minimum.

LED Canopy Lights (Outdoor) — Square fixtures for gas station canopies, drive-throughs, covered parking, loading docks. Surface or recessed mount. IP65 minimum. 4000K–5000K typical.

Bollard & Pathway Lights — Short-pole fixtures for pedestrian areas, campus walkways, and hospitality grounds. Typically 10–30W. Photocell or motion-sensor options common.

Pole / Street Lights — Tall-pole fixtures for roadways, large parking structures, and municipal applications. Often spec-grade with specific BUG ratings and Type II/III/IV/V distribution patterns. Pole hardware sold separately.

IP Rating. IP65 minimum outdoors. IP66 for direct rain. IP67 for the most demanding environments. Under-spec'ing affects warranty.

IK Rating. Vandal resistance, scaled 0–10. IK08 minimum for accessible outdoor. IK10 for high-vandalism areas like school perimeters and convenience-store exteriors.

CCT. 3000–4000K for hospitality, retail exteriors, residential-adjacent, and dark sky compliance. 5000K for high-security parking and industrial perimeters where visual acuity matters.

Photocell. Dusk-to-dawn automation. Most modern outdoor SKUs ship photocell-ready or photocell-equipped.

Motion Sensor. Reduces wattage 50–70% during inactive periods. Common on wall packs and area lights for industrial yards and after-hours zones.

BUG Rating. Backlight, Uplight, Glare. Measures light trespass. B0-U0-G0 is the strictest. Often required by municipalities, HOAs, and campus environments.

Pole TENON Sizing. Slip-fitter mounts come in standard sizes (2 3/8", 3" most common). Confirm tenon diameter when ordering area lights for existing poles.

Outdoor lighting decisions carry compliance weight that indoor doesn't.

Dark Sky. Many jurisdictions (Arizona, parts of Texas and Hawaii, plus a growing list of municipalities) require full-cutoff fixtures and warm color temperatures (3000K or below). Look for IDA-approved or BUG-rated fixtures.

Title 24 (California). Specifies maximum lumens-per-watt and control requirements for outdoor commercial. Check current requirements before spec'ing for a California project.

Local Ordinances. HOAs, campus master plans, and municipal codes routinely restrict light trespass, glare, and color temperature.

Need help confirming compliance? Account reps can flag spec gaps before fixtures ship.

A 400W metal halide area light drawing 460W with ballast, running 12 hours a night at $0.12/kWh, costs about $242 per year per fixture. Replace it with a 150W LED area light and the same usage runs about $79 per year. That's $163 in annual savings per fixture before maintenance reduction or utility rebates.

Outdoor retrofits often hit payback at 12–24 months, faster than indoor, because outdoor fixtures run more hours per day. DLC-listed outdoor fixtures qualify for prescriptive commercial LED lighting rebates from most utilities, typically 20–40% off project cost.

Want to model your project? Talk to our team — pole counts, run hours, and current electric rate are the inputs that matter.

Outdoor commercial lighting typically requires licensed-contractor installation: voltage, weatherproofing, and pole-mount work.

Common mount types:

• Slip fitter. Standard for area lights on poles.
• Arm mount. Direct attachment to pole.
• Surface mount. Wall packs and canopy fixtures.
• Yoke mount. Flood lights with adjustable aim.

For pole fixtures, confirm tenon diameter, pole height, and load rating before ordering. Most installs require permitted, weatherproof wiring with proper grounding and lightning protection on taller poles.

Photocell wiring varies. Built-in photocells need no extra wiring. Twist-lock photocells (NEMA socket) install separately.