Prepare Your Business's Lighting for Winter

Shorter days put more weight on your lights

Once the clocks go back in November, it is dark in Lodi before five in the evening. For most businesses that means the lights are on for several more hours a day than in summer, and the exterior lighting that sat idle through long June evenings suddenly matters for everyone arriving or leaving after work. Customers walk to their cars in the dark, staff arrive before sunrise, and deliveries come and go under whatever light your building provides.

That makes late fall the right time to check your lighting. Fixtures that flickered occasionally in summer will be noticed in winter, a dark patch in the parking lot becomes a real hazard once there is ice on the ground, and a timer still set for summer hours can leave your entrance dark at closing time. The checklist below covers what to look at, most of which takes little more than a walk around the building at dusk.

Inside the building matters too. Back offices, storerooms and stairwells that relied on daylight through a window for part of the afternoon now need their lights on much longer. Make sure those fixtures work and that switches are easy to find near each doorway, so nobody has to cross a dark room to reach them.

Walk the outside of your building after dark

The single most useful thing you can do is walk around your property after dark with a notepad. Look at every entrance, the parking lot, walkways, loading areas and signs. Note any fixture that is out, dim, flickering or pointing the wrong way, and any area where you would not feel comfortable walking alone. These are the spots customers and staff notice, even if they never mention it.

Pay particular attention to steps, ramps and curbs. In winter these are where people slip, and a step that is easy to see in daylight can disappear in the dark. Good lighting on changes in level is one of the simplest ways to prevent falls. Check also that your signs are lit properly, since a dark sign at five in the evening tells passing drivers you are closed.

Reset timers and check photocells

Many businesses control exterior lights and signs with mechanical or digital timers. If those timers were not adjusted when the clocks changed, your lights may be switching on an hour late or off an hour early. Mechanical timers also drift and can lose their setting after a power outage. Check every timer against the current time and the time it now gets dark.

Photocells, the small light sensors that turn fixtures on at dusk, avoid this problem because they respond to actual daylight. They can fail, though, or get blocked by dirt, a growing tree or a sign installed too close to them. A photocell that sees light from another fixture can switch its own lights off at night. If your exterior lights behave oddly, a faulty or badly placed photocell is a common cause and an easy fix.

Cold weather and older fixtures

Cold affects some kinds of lighting more than others. Fluorescent tubes, common in warehouses, garages and back rooms, can be slow to reach full brightness in cold spaces and may flicker or stay dim on freezing mornings. Metal halide and high-pressure sodium fixtures in parking lots and on building exteriors take several minutes to warm up, and if the power blinks during a winter storm, they need to cool down before they will restart.

LED fixtures handle cold very well. They come on at full brightness instantly, even well below freezing, and restart immediately after a power interruption. If your exterior lighting or unheated spaces still use older fixtures, winter is often when their weaknesses become hard to ignore, and it is a good time to think about upgrading the fixtures that cause the most trouble.

Test your emergency lighting and exit signs

Winter storms bring a higher chance of power outages, and that is exactly when emergency lighting has to work. Emergency lights and exit signs run on batteries that wear out over time, and a fixture can look fine with the power on while its battery is long dead.

Most emergency units have a test button. Press it and the lights should come on brightly from battery power. A full test means letting them run on battery for the time the code requires, which is best done by an electrician who can replace weak batteries on the spot. Check that every exit sign is lit and visible, and that nothing stacked or stored for the holidays is blocking it or an exit route.

Watch the load from heaters and holiday lighting

Winter brings extra electrical load. Portable space heaters in offices and back rooms draw a lot of power, and holiday window displays and decorative lighting often get plugged into whatever outlet is closest. When several of these end up on the same circuit as computers, coffee makers or existing lighting, breakers start tripping, or worse, wiring and extension cords run hot.

If breakers trip more often in winter, that is a sign a circuit is overloaded. Keep space heaters plugged directly into wall outlets rather than power strips or extension cords, and spread decorative lighting across circuits. Using LED holiday lights instead of older incandescent strings cuts their load dramatically. If you regularly need extra outlets in a space, adding a dedicated circuit is safer than relying on extension cords.

Plan upgrades and rebates for the new year

Winter is a practical time to plan a lighting upgrade. Your walk-around shows where the problems are, and the longer hours of operation make the cost of old lighting more obvious on your electric bill. Many commercial LED projects in New Jersey qualify for rebates through programs run by the state's utilities, which can cover part of the cost of efficient fixtures and controls.

Program rules change and some ask for details before work begins, so it pays to start early. Adding timers, photocells and occupancy sensors at the same time can lower costs further, especially for exterior lights and rooms that sit empty for much of the day.

Light your entrances for ice and snow

Snow and ice change how people move around your property. Walkways that are clear in daylight can hide patches of black ice after dark, and piles of plowed snow can block the light from low fixtures or cover path lights completely. Once the first storm has passed, walk the property again at night and check that plowed snow has not buried any fixtures or cast new shadows across the paths people use.

Entrances deserve particular attention. A well-lit doorway lets people see the threshold, the mat and any ice that has formed where melting snow drips from the roof. Wall-mounted fixtures beside or above the door are less likely to be buried than ground-level lights. If water regularly drips from above an entrance and refreezes, lighting it well makes the hazard visible while you deal with the cause.

Check that exterior fixtures are sealed and in good condition, too. Cracked lenses and loose covers let in water that freezes and expands, which can break the fixture or short its wiring. Replacing a damaged fixture before winter is much easier than dealing with it during a storm.

We can help

Astro Group Electric is a licensed and insured electrical contractor based in Lodi, with more than fifteen years of experience in New Jersey. We repair and upgrade commercial lighting, test emergency lighting, add circuits and controls, and help businesses check whether their projects qualify for utility rebates.

If your walk-around turned up dark spots, failing fixtures or breakers that keep tripping, call us at (973) 559-2810 or send a message through our contact form. We work with businesses throughout Lodi and the surrounding towns.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my outside lights come on at the wrong time in winter?

Usually because a timer was not adjusted when the clocks changed or lost its setting during a power outage. A photocell that is dirty, faulty or seeing light from another fixture can also switch lights at the wrong times.

Do LED lights work well in the cold?

Yes. LEDs turn on at full brightness instantly even below freezing and restart right away after a power blink, unlike fluorescent, metal halide and sodium fixtures.

How often should emergency lights be tested?

Press the test button regularly to make sure they light from battery, and have a full-duration test done by an electrician, who can replace weak batteries at the same time. Winter, with its higher risk of outages, is a good time to check.