Billboard lighting has changed considerably over the years. Today, LED fixtures can produce more usable light with much less electricity than the old high-wattage systems. But the basic rule has not changed: there is no single lighting package that works for every billboard. You have to design the illumination around the individual location.
Start With the Signs Around You
Drive the road at night and study the billboards immediately before and after your location. Look at both sides of the highway and note how evenly their faces are illuminated and how visible they are from normal viewing distances.
Advertisers are going to compare your sign with everything around it. You don't necessarily need to be the brightest billboard on the road, but you don't want yours looking noticeably dim or uneven either.
Consider the Surrounding Light
A billboard standing by itself on a rural highway has completely different requirements from one surrounded by parking lots, streetlights and commercial signs.
The darker the surroundings, the less light it generally takes for the advertisement to stand out. In a brightly illuminated commercial corridor, you may need more output or better fixture placement to obtain the same visual impact.
Distance and Fixture Placement Matter
A billboard set well back from the roadway needs to remain readable from a greater distance. But simply installing the highest-output fixtures available is not necessarily the answer.
Modern LED optics allow light to be directed more precisely onto the billboard face. Proper fixture location and beam distribution can improve uniformity while reducing wasted light above, below and beyond the sign.
Calculate the Real Cost
LED technology has made billboard illumination far more energy-efficient than older lighting systems, but electricity is still an operating expense. The purchase price is only part of the equation.
Before selecting fixtures, compare:
- Initial equipment and installation cost
- Expected electricity consumption
- Fixture life and warranty
- Maintenance and replacement requirements
- Availability of timers, photocells or other controls
A cheaper fixture that consumes more power or requires frequent service may eventually cost more than the better unit.
Check the Rules Before Ordering
This has become increasingly important. Local sign and lighting ordinances may regulate brightness, hours of operation, glare, spill light or how illumination must be aimed. The objective should be enough light to make the billboard perform well without sending unnecessary light into neighboring properties or the night sky.
Conclusion
Don't select billboard lighting from a standard shopping list and install the same system everywhere. Study the location first. Look at competing signs, ambient light, setback, operating costs and local regulations. Then design the lighting package around those conditions.
The best billboard lighting is not necessarily the brightest. It's the system that makes the advertisement clear, competitive and economical every night.
