What is street light vs flood light?
Application of street lights
Street lighting has many benefits. It can improve the quality of life in urban areas by extending the hours of illumination. Street lighting can improve people’s safety. In the same group, half of all fatal and serious injuries occur between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., and only a quarter of car drivers’ trips occur between those times. Reduced visibility in the dark is a problem for pedestrians and road users. There is a need to find ways to reduce the risk to all road users in the dark.
The installation of bright, white LEDs in the city of Los Angeles has led to a decrease in crime. With less dark pockets, people feel safer walking home late at night compared to walking under street lighting.
Street lights are usually mounted on poles that are appropriate for lighting. The poles need to be excavated in order to provide power to the lights. Proper installation can only be done by a qualified technician. The installation of floodlights can be done in a variety of ways. Floodlights can be mounted on roofs, walls and lawns.
Application of flood lights
A type of high-intensity artificial lighting known as floodlighting. Floodlights can be found in places where a lot of artificial lighting is needed. A large parking lot, places that host events such as concerts or theater halls, and outdoor sports fields can be found in a number of places. Even if a stadium wants to host a game, the lights must be installed.
Sports field and stadium
Floodlights are good for television broadcasts because they give players a better view. Some sports venues have portable temporary ones, even if they are not permanent. Although the correct usage of the word “floodlight” is only in the sense that we mean a very intense beam of light, people now also use the term to describe the powerful outdoor fixtures they install in their own backyards.
Industrial
Industrial units need lighting systems that are high-intensity. The need for optimum lighting is raised by the fact that most of these units are 24×7. The most popular lighting solution in these areas is LEDs.
Building facade
A building’s facade is one of the most important parts. The front of the building has a street in it. A variety of lighting techniques are used to highlight the areas. Flood lights are used to illuminate the main facade of a company.
Seaport
Seaport floodlight is one of their main areas of application. The areas are open for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The use of flood lights is a good choice for such applications.
Monuments
The area’s worth is boosted by the architectural buildings and monuments. A country’s pride and culture can be seen in the structures. Flood lights illuminate these structures during the night. The lighting techniques used to highlight monuments include accenting and wall- washing. This aim is achieved with the precise broad beam emitted by the flood lights.
Beam angle difference between street light and flood lights
The beam angle is the angle formed by the point where the light intensity reaches 50% of the center light intensity and the center light intensity point. The bigger the beam angle, the bigger the central light intensity. The beam angle is related to the scattering.
A beam spread of 120 degrees is possible with a floodlight. It can illuminate a bigger area with the same amount of power and light output as a spotlight. The flood light puts off a narrow beam that is more appropriate to highlight an object or area than the street light. Flood lights offer 120 degrees of illumination, which is ideal for illuminating a broad area. The aim of the light is to cover the wide range surface of the intended object.
| Type of beam | Beam angle range |
| Narrow beam | < 20° |
| Medium beam | 20° to 40° |
| Wide beam | 40° to 90° |
| Ultra-wide beam | > 90° |
There are also subtle differences in the beam angles of streetlights and floodlights.
| Type of light | Beam angle range |
| Street light | 20° to 120° |
| Flood light | 60° to 150° |
Importance of flood lighting
A wide beam of light can be created by floodlights. A floodlight is a device that floods an area with light. It’s the best way to give an area a lot of light. The high lm output per watt is what makes LEDs the most energy efficient lighting system. They can be used for many different lighting technologies.
Floodlights vs street lights’ installation cost
Floodlights installation expenses
The national average cost to install an outdoor floodlight is $450, but it depends on a number of factors. A lot of people spend a lot of money on a project.
Most of the money will be spent on the materials and permits. Expecting any work on a home to cost the same as what someone else paid doesn’t work, as not all homes are the same, and the prices of materials can change a lot.
Replacing an outdoor light fixture can take up to two hours and can cost up to $200. The cost to replace an outdoor light will be between $50 and $1,200.
Street light installation expenses
The cost of a street light pole is between 2500 and 4000 dollars, and the electrician’s expenses to put in street light is between 1500 and 2000 dollars. As we can see, street lighting is far more expensive to install than residential or commercial floodlights because street lighting requires a lot of complex manual work, wiring and equipment. Installing streetlights is also more time consuming. Therefore, we can expect a significant difference between the installation costs of streetlights and floodlights.
The table below shows the brief comparison between street lights and flood lights.
| Flood lights | Street lights | |
| Beam angle | 60° to 150° | 20° to 120° |
| Cost of lighting | $100 to $200 (per 100W) | $150 to $300 (per 100W) |
| Cost of light pole | $200 to $500 | $2500 to $4000 |
| Installation cost | $100 to $200 | $500 to $2000 |
| Maintenance cost | $50 to $150 | $80 to $150 |
| Power | From 100W to 2000W per lamp | From 50W to 300W per lamp |
| Light color | Mainly natural white light or cool white | Warm white or cool white |
| Tilting direction | Oblique | Downward |
| Height of installation | From 5 to 30 meters | From 6 to 15 meters |
When do we use floodlights?
The range of light can be adjusted by lighting the area. Floodlights have a wide beam and can be used indoors or outdoors. Production work requires a high power lighting system. A good lighting system is needed for long-term operation in these areas.
It is common to use lights in outdoor sports. They are waterproof and dustproof, allowing athletes to play at a higher level. Floodlights illuminate large areas as if it were daytime, with no time limit. The profitability of the stadium can be improved by this. The monument is a modern representation of aesthetic and cultural values. By using lights to illuminate monuments at night, the beauty and magnificence of the monument can be seen. One of life’s indispensable fixtures can be used to evenly illuminate large areas such as restaurants, garages, harbors and yards.
When do we use street lights?
Road street light is an important lamp that can illuminate the road, improve the recognition ability of drivers, and reduce the occurrence of accidents at night. Road street lights can also be used during the day.
Road street light is an important lamp that can illuminate the road, improve the recognition ability of drivers, and reduce the occurrence of accidents at night. Road street lights can also be used during the day.
The quality of life can be improved by setting the atmosphere and using commercial street lights. The sense of well-being can be enhanced by extending the lighting time on community streetlights. They can be turned on during the day to help improve road visibility and reduce accidents when there is bad weather. People can enjoy life happily if they eliminate their fear of darkness.
Uniformity of street lights
The ratio of minimum illumination to average illumination is known as uniformity. Uniformity of illumination makes it easier to look at something. The lights are non-directional. The mounting position has an effect on the uniformity of the light source.
Uneven lighting distribution can occur if the lighting is placed too close to the target area. The streetlights are designed to give a uniform lighting distribution and minimize light pollution. The batwing style lighting distribution is used a lot. Without a custom design, streetlights are not the same as floodlights.
Can street lights be used as floodlights?
The market has different types of lamps. Different types of lights can be used in different ways. Ensuring the safety of drivers and pedestrians in dark or dimly lit environments is one of the main goals of street lights. People feel safer when there are street lights on.
Reducing crime is one of the things they do to play a role in public safety. Large areas, such as warehouses and sports fields, can be illuminated by floodlights. They protect people from danger by illuminating applications and increasing visibility.
Both streetlights and floodlights are able to illuminate the outdoors. It seems that both floodlights and streetlights can be used as streetlights.
Floodlights can be used to illuminate the street. Street lighting aims to illuminate the road in one direction. There is a bigger area of the target object that can be covered by floodlights. The beam dispersion of the floodlight can be adjusted by adding a reflector or lens. Floodlights with full cut-off can be used as street lights.
The maximum illumination intensity must be less than 20cd/1000lm and less than 90cd/1000lm. Compared to streetlights with the same specifications, floodlights are more expensive due to the development of technology. It is reasonable to classify the lamp. It’s not necessary to spend more money to convert the lights into streetlights.
LED street lights and flood lights
There is no debate about the merits of conventional lighting systems. The most innovative lighting solution is LEDs. There are a few reasons why LED flood lights and street lights are the future.
There are many benefits to street lighting. The goal of street lighting is not to show the way directly ahead of the car, but to illuminate it. Street lights illuminate adjoining areas to alert drivers to the emergence of potential dangers from the side.
High lumen
Any light source’s lm output is the measure of its brightness. The light source that is brighter is the lm output. The high lm output of LEDs make them ideal for flood lights.
Energy saving
It costs a lot to illuminate the street. With talk of using more green energy and reducing carbon footprints, many cities have turned to LEDs as a way to save money and help the environment. Over time, the city’s energy savings will pay for the lights, even though they are more expensive upfront. As the demand for lighting increases, the prices are going to go down. The costs of streetlight systems have gone down over the past two years.
LEDs use less power to emit the same amount of light because they emit less heat. In comparison, heat and fluorescent lights release most of their energy as heat, while incandescent bulbs only release a small amount of energy as heat. Traditional lighting technologies can be up to 80% more energy efficient with the use of LEDs.
Energy efficiency is one of the main benefits of using a light emitting device. The lighting industry has changed because of them. The high efficacy and superior performance of the LEDs make them the best lighting solution. The light produced by the LEDs is more per watt of power used. The results are superior illumination and less use of power.
Good heat dissipation
The cooler the lights are, the more you like them. An advantage of the excellent thermal management system is that it reduces the heat generated. We are always looking for ways to improve our lighting solutions. Our flood lights have high efficacy LEDs and an active thermal management system.
Reduction of carbon footprint
Cities have the potential to become more sustainable due to the lower energy consumption of street lighting. To cut costs, save energy and make public lighting infrastructure more functional, intelligent lighting systems can be combined with smart technologies.
Better durability
Street lights that have been burned out are a problem at night. Staying awake and aware of our surroundings can be aided by bright flood or street lighting. It won’t be a problem for your city to change out bad bulbs due to the long lifespan of the LEDs. The cost of street lights may be more expensive, but they use less energy and need less maintenance.
The longer lifespan of LED street light and flood light is one of their benefits. LED bulbs can last up to five times longer than fluorescent bulbs.
No warm up time
It’s important for street lighting to be lit up. When the temperature drops, fluorescent lighting can take a long time to warm up. As heat is the enemy of LED bulbs, they thrive in cold weather. There is no need to wait for the bulbs to warm up when the lights are installed. They are on at all times.
Reduction of light pollution
The majority of people in the US and Europe live in areas with light pollution. Light pollution refers to the light produced by skyscrapers and large buildings, but lights on streets, highways and sidewalks contribute to light pollution in urban areas.
The blue light caused more light pollution when it was first used. The illumination of the night sky would be greatly reduced due to the initial placement of the light fixture causing it to spill over. The problem has been solved by experts. One future-focused benefit of LED streetlights is a reduction in light pollution while still producing the bright, steady light for which they are known.
Lesser glare
When talking about the benefits of LEDs, lighting experts usually point to their uniform, consistent light pattern that can illuminate large rooms and facilities with very high ceilings. The amount of glare for drivers can be reduced by the consistent light pattern.
They can be used to direct light to specific areas because of the way they produce light. Unlike other external light sources, LEDs can be dimmable, allowing for more flexibility in controlling light levels or adding additional energy-saving controls.
Conclusion
In this article, we explain what street light and flood light is and how it is used. The main difference is that floodlights are designed to illuminate a wider area while street lights are used to illuminate roads. The cost of the poles is the main reason why streetlights are more expensive than floodlights. While floodlights emit light in all directions, streetlights are fixed when installed.
