When I’m assessing a commercial property for LED retrofit opportunities, the car park is often where I find the biggest wins. And it’s frequently the last area anyone thinks about.

Why? Because car parks aren’t glamorous. They’re not where customers see your brand or where employees spend their day. But that underground or multi-level car park running metal halides around the clock? That’s real money disappearing through inefficient lighting.

Why Car Parks Are Different

Car park lighting has characteristics that make it particularly suited to LED upgrades:

Long operating hours: Many car parks run lights 24/7, or at least during extended hours. More operating hours means more energy savings from efficient LEDs.

Harsh conditions: Car parks are often dusty, have exhaust fumes, and temperature variations. Metal halides and fluorescents degrade faster in these conditions. LEDs handle them better.

High lamp-change costs: Replacing lamps on ceiling-mounted fittings in a car park means traffic management, mobile platforms, and often after-hours work. LED longevity dramatically reduces this maintenance burden.

Safety requirements: Adequate lighting is non-negotiable in car parks. You can’t just switch lights off to save energy. But you can make the ones you run far more efficient.

The Typical Situation

Here’s what I commonly find in commercial car parks:

• 70W or 150W high-pressure sodium (HPS) fittings
• Metal halide alternatives in some areas
• Aging fluorescent battens in smaller car parks
• Fittings running continuously regardless of occupancy
• Failed lamps that haven’t been replaced (dark spots)
• Mix of different products from previous partial upgrades

Sound familiar?

The LED Solution

Modern LED car park lighting addresses all of these issues:

Batten style: For lower ceiling heights and surface-mounted applications. Typically 20-40W replacing 36-58W fluorescents.

Lowbay style: For slightly higher mounting in multi-level structures. 40-80W replacing 70-150W HPS or metal halide.

Bulkhead style: For stairwells and entry points. Often with emergency function built in.

For a typical underground car park:

• Replace 100 x 70W HPS fittings (7,000W total) with 100 x 30W LED (3,000W total)
• Save 4,000W continuously
• At 24/7 operation: 35,040 kWh per year
• At $0.25/kWh: $8,760/year in energy savings

And that’s before we even talk about controls.

Adding Occupancy Controls (The Real Win)

Car parks have highly variable occupancy. A shopping centre car park might be busy on weekends and quiet on Tuesday mornings. An office car park empties after 6pm.

Motion-activated dimming or switching can reduce energy consumption by another 30-60% beyond the LED conversion itself.

How it works:

• LEDs dim to a low “standby” level when no motion is detected (say, 20% output)
• When a car or pedestrian is detected, fittings in that zone ramp up to full output
• After a timeout, they dim back down

This maintains safety (the area is never dark) while slashing energy use during quiet periods.

The savings from controls can actually exceed the savings from the LED conversion itself. I’ve seen car park projects where:

• LED conversion alone: 55% energy reduction
• Adding occupancy controls: additional 40% reduction
• Total: 73% energy reduction versus original

That transforms project economics.

Rebate Considerations

Car park retrofits typically qualify for ESCs (NSW) and VEECs (Victoria). The calculations work the same as other commercial lighting.

However, be aware that:

• Running hours affect certificate quantity. A 24/7 car park generates more certificates than one operating business hours only.
• Controls may or may not be reflected in the certificate calculation depending on the specific activity definition. Check with your ACP.
• Some car park fittings are mounted lower than typical commercial heights—make sure you’re using the correct activity category.

Product Selection

For car park applications, look for:

IP rating: At least IP54, preferably IP65 for wash-down areas or outdoor exposed sections.

IK rating: Impact resistance matters. IK08 minimum. In areas prone to vandalism or accidental contact, IK10.

Colour temperature: 4000K is standard. Some facilities prefer 5000K for a brighter, more alert feel.

Emergency options: Consider fittings with emergency battery backup for emergency routes, or ensure your emergency lighting system covers the car park adequately.

Sensor compatibility: If you’re planning to add controls, check that the fittings support dimming (DALI or 1-10V) or that integrated sensors are available.

Project Planning

A car park retrofit is actually simpler than many commercial projects because:

• The space is usually unoccupied or lightly occupied during installation
• Mounting heights are typically accessible with standard mobile platforms
• Electrical infrastructure is usually straightforward

Key planning considerations:

• Traffic management during installation
• Security (car parks with removed fittings can be very dark)
• Staging the work by level or zone
• Coordinating with security and building management

A Quick Case Study

Last year I worked on a six-level office car park in Melbourne:

Existing: 240 x 70W HPS fittings, running 24/7

New: 240 x 30W LED lowbays with integrated microwave occupancy sensors

Investment: $72,000 (before rebates)

VEECs generated: 520 certificates @ $70 = $36,400

Net investment: $35,600

Annual energy saving: 24,528 kWh from LED conversion + approximately 15,000 kWh from occupancy dimming

Annual cost saving: $9,880

Payback: 3.6 years

The building owner hadn’t even considered the car park initially. They came to us for office lighting. But when we showed them these numbers, the car park became priority one.

Getting Started

If you manage commercial property with car parks, add them to your next lighting audit. The numbers often surprise people.

Walk the car park. Count the fittings. Note the types. Check how many hours they operate. Then ask for some quotes.

You might find your biggest energy savings opportunity has been sitting in the basement all along.