You might already know that low bay lights are best for ceilings 12–20 feet high, while high bay lights are used in ceilings higher than 20 feet. But that’s only half the story.
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While it’s true that the mounting height of the fixtures is the deciding factor, both high bay and low bay lights have unique design features you need to consider for each application.
These include:
High and low bay lights also come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and Kelvin color temperatures. Will you install round, linear, grid-mount, or surface-mount high bay lights?
This guide will help you to choose the best option for your application as we review some of the best high bay and low bay lights.
Bay lights are high-powered light fixtures designed to be installed on high ceilings, typically 12 feet high or more. The designation “high bay” and “low bay”defines the ideal height and specific applications where each type of bay light can be installed.
High bay lights are commercial lighting fixtures designed to be mounted at heights of 20–45 feet. They are common in buildings with high ceilings such as warehouses, industrial facilities, shopping malls, and offices.
Such large and tall spaces require powerful lights to provide sufficient illumination and light distribution. High bay lights have a few unique features that help them achieve this:
Because of their design, high bay lights are more expensive and use more energy than low bay lights. Different options are available including LED fixtures, metal halide lamps, T8 fluorescents, and high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps.
For modern lighting, LED high bay lights are the best solution for large commercial and industrial spaces. The best LED fixtures have an efficiency of more than 85% (inclusive of heat losses), which makes them a highly affordable and green option.
The table below highlights various types of LED high bay lights and their features.
As you can see from the table, high bay light fixtures vary in shape and size. The most common ones are round LED (UFO-type), linear, architectural, and grid-mount fixtures.
Different mounting options are available, though the most common are suspended, recessed, and surface-mount fixtures. The type you choose will depend on your client’s preferences.
Low bay lights are fixtures designed to be installed at heights ranging from 12 to 20 feet. Below 12 feet, lighting fixtures such as wall packs and floodlights are common.
The height at which low bay lights are installed requires them to be relatively powerful so that they can illuminate large areas while reducing glare. That’s why low bay fixtures are designed to have:
Low bay lights are common in commercial facilities with low ceilings, including retail shops, offices, parking garages, and gas stations.
Just like high bay lights, low bay fixtures can also be a metal halide, HID, fluorescent, or LED. You can choose from a wide range of shapes, sizes, power outputs, and mounting options.
The table below shows a few examples of low bay lighting fixtures.
Expert Tip: Manufacturers consider the mounting height of light fixtures, not the ceiling height. This is an important difference when it comes to suspended fixtures, so always check the manufacturer guidelines for guidance on minimum and maximum mounting heights.
When lighting a commercial or industrial space, ensuring good illumination is paramount for the sake of safety and security. Light levels, light distribution, and intensity influence the comfort of employees and customers in that area, potentially affecting their actions.
One study on the effects of lighting on consumer behavior in a retail environment concluded that contrast and color temperature affect the attention, intention, and pleasure of customers.
This is why installation requires careful planning with regard to the type, number, spacing, and mounting of the fixtures you choose to install. In the video below, an expert from LED manufacturer Polaris explains how some of these factors come into play.
Lighting designers use CAD plans and sophisticated software, such as DIAlux, to calculate lux (lumens per square foot), but there are easier ways of doing so.
One good rule of thumb is that two lumens per square footage is sufficient for standard lighting, while three lumens per square foot of space is enough for bright lighting.
Another rule of thumb relates to mounting height and spacing between fixtures: high fixtures need more powerful lights with a narrower beam angle, and vice versa. You also need optimal spacing to achieve cross-lighting and to avoid shadows and glare.
The following table shows suggested figures when it comes to the power and mounting distance of both low and high bay lights.
Mounting Height Suggested LED Wattage Lumen Output Spacing Between Fixtures 12–15 ft 30–40 W 5,000–15,000 lumens 12–14 ft 20 ft 90–150 W 22,000–35,000 lumens 15–25 ft 25 ft 180–200 W 30–45 ft 250 W 35,000–47,000 lumens 30–40 ftThere are a few other factors to consider when choosing low and high bay lights. Ask yourself the following three questions to help you make the best choices.
Older lighting technologies, such as metal halide, fluorescent, and high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, are still very popular due to their high lumen output. However, they have comparatively poor energy efficiency, require a lot of maintenance, and can be bad for the environment when toxic gasses such as mercury vapor are used.
LED lights have recently overtaken these older fixtures in popularity because of their significantly higher energy efficiency. They also last much longer, require minimal maintenance, and produce better quality illumination.
Various LED bay light shapes and sizes will suit different applications. For example, linear fixtures are long and narrow, which lets you cover a larger space with fewer fixtures. They are also perfect for long narrow spaces such as production lines, aisles, and walkways.
Round or UFO-type LED fixtures are used for general-purpose high bay lighting. Their shape allows them to be mounted from a single point, and they tend to have uniform light distribution. They’re perfect for places where feature lighting is important, such as in restaurants and retail spaces.
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Other shapes and designs include rectangular or grid-mount lights for offices and architectural fixtures mounted where aesthetics are important.
The choice of installation options, such as recessed, surface-mount, or suspended mounting, falls to you as the electrical or general contractor.
In most cases, however, suspended lighting is used in industrial applications, while recessed fixtures provide a clean flush look that is perfect for low bay commercial spaces.
When retrofitting existing fixtures with LEDs, you will be constrained to using the same shape and size of fixtures as the existing ones.
Here at RelightDepot, our lighting consultants have a strong background in the lighting industry, spanning years. This helps us understand your needs as a contractor as well as the needs of your clients.
If you’re having trouble with the lighting design or layout of your project, you’re welcome to consult with our team. We’ll help you to meet your lighting goals no matter what equipment you choose. As the Electrical Contractor Magazine puts it,
“Light is more important than the devices that deliver it … good design starts with goals, not equipment.”
— Lighting 101, EC Magazine
We also understand that budget constraints can be a concern when choosing lighting fixtures. To that end, we provide value-engineered quotes to help you stay within your budget and reach your lighting design goals.
Whether you’re a contractor or a project manager, call us today at 888 548 and let us help you bring your lighting installation project to a satisfactory end.
The deciding factor between high and low bay lighting fixtures is the height at which they will be mounted. Both types of lights have special design factors that help them meet their lighting goals, including:
In addition to ceiling height, there are many other factors to consider when choosing both high and low bay lighting fixtures. These include energy efficiency, shape of fixture, light color temperature, and cost.
To determine the specific number and type of lighting fixtures you need, you may have to consult a lighting designer to work out the lux requirements.
If you’ve been inside a Costco or a convention center, chances are you’ve laid eyes on UFO style LED high bays. They're one of the most common fixtures you see because of their relatively small size and ease of installation. While extremely bright, they produce even light distribution that's diffused to reduce glare. Here are some quick facts about the Hykolity LED UFO high bay:
Let’s face it: you probably already know what the LED UFO high bay does, but you might still have some questions. If you already know the basic benefits, skip straight to our most asked questions.
The UFO style LED high bay light shares its linear-shaped counterpart’s basic benefits including the ability to dim, a long lifespan, and high applicability.
Use the Lutron Diva 0-10V dimmer switch to lower your UFO high bay’s lighting output and energy use. Since it has a 450W wattage capacity, we recommend wiring up to three 100W fixtures, two 150W fixtures and so on. You’ll want to keep a buffer between the dimmer’s wattage capacity and the UFO high bays’ combined wattage in case of any voltage spikes, which may blow out the dimmer and/or fixtures.
This LED high bay light lasts up to hours due in part to efficient LED technology and an externally built LED driver, which creates a gap that aids the heat dissipation.
Affix the UFO LED high bay in any industrial or commercial building with high ceilings like:
Using reflectors will allow you to refine your UFO high bays’ beam angle and concentrate its light output. Your desired beam angle will also determine how your fixtures will look. Affixing aluminum reflectors will give you a 100° beam angle while maintaining the UFO high bay’s sleek appearance. Using polycarbonate lenses will give you a 70° beam angle while giving you a traditional metal halide high bay look.
The included hook allows you to install the UFO high bay in minutes. But if you need a more secure mount, you can replace the hook with a conduit pipe or a yoke. The former will allow you to pendant mount the UFO high bay as you would normally but will have a rigid fit, so the fixture won’t move. This is an ideal solution for spaces where wind freely blows in like airplane hangars. A yoke will give you the same secure fit but also let you wall mount the UFO high bay to set it at an angle.
Like the linear high bay, the UFO high bay can be equipped with a motion sensor to save energy. Your commercial UFO lights will only turn on when it detects activity under them, reducing the time it’s on and extending its operating life. After a short amount of time, the high bay fixtures will dim then shut off when no motion is detected.
Mount the motion sensor on its heatsink or metal reflector (sold separately) for a 360° detection area. It covers a wide 26-foot radius and can be set up to 49 feet high, so you can hang your UFO high bays without compromise.
If the features tick all the boxes for you, order the LED UFO high bay light now! Still on the fence? Read on to see common questions that contractors ask.
You might be wondering why you should opt for a UFO high bay if the linear high bay performs just as well. Aside from their shapes, there are some key differences.
As mentioned above, the UFO LED high bay’s beam angles can be sharpened with polycarbonate reflectors to adequately illuminate a small area. Its circular diode arrangement and lumen range makes our LED UFO lights ideal for shallow, more open spaces. On the other hand, LED linear high bays have a longer diode arrangement to create a wider beam angle. They perform best when ceiling mounted higher, making them an excellent solution for narrow spaces like high rising aisles.
Because the shape differs, the two high bays’ light distributions are dissimilar as well. Another reason why the linear high bay is perfect for lighting up aisles is that they output a uniform, rectangular light beam. UFO high bays shine a circular light beam.
The choice also comes down to your aesthetic taste. Do you want the traditional high bay appearance? Choose the UFO style. If you like the boxy fluorescent lamp look, go for the linear style.
Traditional high bay fixtures share the same pendant-style design as our UFO LED high bays. Their bulbs are omnidirectional though, meaning they shine in all directions. This required using aluminum reflectors to redirect the light downwards. While this salvages most of the lost light, the output would still be less than efficient.
Whereas LED high bays take less than a second to fully illuminate, metal halide fixtures take up to 20 minutes to reach standard operating temperatures.
Each UFO high bay has a 110° beam angle, except for the 200W version which has a 120°. This and their lumen output will affect your mounting height. Based on a 40-50 foot candle output, we suggest mounting the LED UFO high bays at least 10 feet from the floor, and up to 20 feet. The spacing should equal the coverage, so if the 100W fixture gives you a 30-foot diameter, set them 30 feet apart. Refer to the diagram below.
While you can’t dunk your commercial fixtures in water, they can resist some moisture. Our UFO high bays are UL rated for wet location. Lights that can endure wet conditions earn the distinction by UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a nationally recognized testing lab in North America. A product is wet location rated if it can keep dripping, splashing, or flowing water from its electrical components. Indoor locations include grocery stores, membership warehouse clubs, and airplane hangars.
For more information, please visit ufo high bay light.