Croquet is a healthy sport where people of all ages meet on the croquet lawn to enjoy their free time. Nonetheless, it has precise rules and competitive nature. Taking care of the lighting design is a way to ensure that the players enjoy themselves more. But it also serves the purpose of providing a lighting standard.
The cost of installing and running an illuminated croquet facility depends on the price of the lights and the requirements. Of course, the number of hours you leave them on impacts the electricity bills as well. In the most practical phase, it all revolves around how to buy the most convenient croquet court flood lights. But first, you need to know the most influential factors in order to calculate your expenses.
What determines the croquet field lighting cost?
The croquet field lighting cost depends on the level of play and location. For a striker to hit a ball and make it pass through a wicket, the lights must be spot on. Later, more focus is necessary to strike the center peg. The whole nine-wicket croquet requires a lot of attention and adequate illuminance.
For starters, the croquet field size set the boundaries of the main lighting zone. But the croquet lawn is not all you must think about. The level of competition, in fact, plays a determinant role in the final expenses. Besides, the stadium or arena could have light poles or previously installed light sources.
To get the full picture, you also need to consider the necessary lighting uniformity. Along with how you intend to control the lights.
1. Croquet field size
The standard croquet court size is 25.6 x 32m. In detail, these measures include the four boundaries, baulk, and yard lines. If your croquet lawn is larger than this standard size, you will need more lights. As a result, you will incur a higher lighting cost.
Starting with the following sections on the croquet court flood lights, you can get an idea of how many lights you would need. But if you are unsure about the exact number, you can always rely on professionals to do some testing for you. In this case, you will need to provide the exact measures of your court. You should also consider the pitch orientation in case you do not host games at all times during the year.
2. Level of competition
Often, sports lighting includes some sort of standard for the best results. The main purpose of adequate illuminance is to prevent any difficulty and hazard on the field. For croquet, the two most recommended lighting standards are the following ones.
- Recreational use: 150lux
- Competition: 500 to 700lux
Obviously, a higher lux level means higher wattage. In simpler terms, the higher the energy consumption, the more expensive the croquet field lights.
At the lowest level of competition, for rec use, you can find elderly people. Basically, this group includes anyone who enjoys playing mallet sports. So, the main goal for this standard is to provide enough brightness and light distribution to ensure a safe game. Since a match is turn-based, except for an all-around break, each player must be able to see the balls and any difference in soil condition.
3. Light pole height
Frequently, a sports facility can count on high mast flooding to light a pitch. So, you could very well be thinking about the light pole height for optimal lighting.
As you know, high mast lights usually cover a broad area or a multi-purpose pitch. But, for a croquet lawn, the lighting cost could soar due to the installation of more lights.
Indeed, with high mast floodlighting, the light loss will be very high. If you are going to use a very tall light pole, you will need to add more lights to compensate for the light loss. Alternatively, you can opt for portable lighting solutions with a telescopic light pole. That is, the use of light towers. A professional lighting survey or audit can give you a complete report for a more complete analysis of the necessary expenses.
4. Light source
Without a doubt, the price of a light source is not the only factor that determines the overall croquet field lighting cost. A type of bulb, in fact, can consume more energy than more cost-efficient light sources. For example, mercury vapor lamps lights are energy hogs, and on top of that, they have a short life span.
Generally speaking, you can choose between these croquet field light sources:
- LED
- metal halide
- halogen
- mercury vapor lamps.
Among the listed light sources, LEDs are by far the most cost-efficient ones. You can install and replace LED lights easily, and they last longer than every other type. Although LED has a higher initial cost, the subsequent running cost and maintenance cost is much lower. Instead, the other lamps have a cheaper price tag but will cost more over time.
5. Lighting uniformity required
Lighting distribution helps you walk the croquet lawn and focus on the striking period. In detail, uniformity refers to the light intensity because it must not change between adjacent areas. However, in some cases, suitable illumination might require the use of more light sources.
Of course, it will be more expensive if you need high lighting uniformity. In general, you need to add extra lights to the dim spot to achieve high uniformity of >0.7. When you offer the right uniformity in the crocket pitch, the players can calculate the draw better. In other words, the game becomes more entertaining, even for the spectators.
On the other hand, a lack of lighting uniformity could lead to the exclusion of the sports venue. See your association’s rules for more details on lighting requirements.
6. A smart lighting control system
Up until now, we discussed more tech details related to the venue and lighting standard at play. But you must consider the practicality of the lighting system as well. It could be troublesome to control the light without someone in a control room. Or it could be dangerous to reach the high masts every single time to turn the lights on and off. So, a simple solution might be a smart lighting control system.
The wireless module will cost a little more than the lighting fixtures themselves. In reality, with an easy and fast installation, you can cross off the lighting control issue. Of course, you need to consider how that will impact your budget and find the most affordable solution to your specific needs.
How much does it cost to buy croquet court flood lights?
First of all, let us consider the area of a standard field size, which is: 25.6 x 32 = 820 sq. meter.
The easiest way to calculate the necessary expenses in light fixtures is to find out the total lumen output of your lighting standard. That is, the lighting requirement that applies to your recreational use, tournament, or competitions. To calculate the necessary lumen output, you do some simple math. Here is the formula for the rec use:
Lumens required for croquet court lights = 150 lux x 820 sq. meter x 1.2 (light loss factor) = 147,600 lumens.
Then, you simply divide the total lumen output by the light fixture efficiency (lumen per watt ratio). Here is an example:
Wattage of croquet field lights (power consumption) = 147,600 lumens / 150 lumens per watt = 984 watts.
So, the result is around 1000 watts. We can spread 1000 watts in the 4 poles (each pole with a 250W LED light). There you go! Now, you can shop for the best price deals. That’s the average price of 1000 watt LED lights for croquet court is around $800 to $1500.
How to buy cheap croquet court lights?
1. Getting a photometric lighting simulation report first
Early on, I suggested you consulted experts like us in case you have an oversized croquet court. Well, you can also contact lighting specialists to save money. Professionals, in fact, can help you because they use the DIALux software.
This program predicts how many flood lights you actually need. Plus, it will correctly indicate their wattage and beam angle. In short, not only do you get what you really need but also do so by optimizing the shopping process.
The report tells you what lights to buy and where to place them for the best results. Besides, the same applies to retrofitting old venues. As soon as you make the suggested changes for your current system, you will cut down your expenses dramatically.
2. Ask for a discount
Commerce lives off trades. So, you can always ask for a bulk order discount. Sometimes, asking is just enough. You may need several services and or products, after all.
Most companies will hear you out. If your project requires you to organize a massive order and installation of new lighting equipment, you can very well ask for a discount too. The majority of clients request few products or as little as one service at a time, so the company’s higher prices must make up for the spent time. But it stands to reasons that for a big order you will get a discount or some sort of special deal.
3. Using the same wattage and beam angle flood lights in the croquet court
This tip can lower the manufacturing cost and installation cost as it is easier for the electricians to install the same type of lights. On balance, you need to think in terms of time and energy saved.
The use of professional software or expert advice do just that. Perhaps, it could be time-consuming to try to figure out the best ways to set it all up. But it is possible to do it yourself if you have the time. Just figure out the correct light output. Then, search for reputable sellers and place the order. You only need to find an installation service in your area and follow the work in the end.
4. Using LED lights
In comparison with the other types of light sources, LED lights are the most cost-competitive choice. You get a >150,000 hours life span. Plus, you reduce maintenance costs in the future because LEDs do not need any regular maintenance.
If you need to replace your old bulbs, search for the equivalent LED lights. Equivalence between LED lights and other types means the same lumen output. When you replace old bulbs with new LED lights with the same lumens, your expenses will go down.
Using LED lights is a sort of investment that will repay itself with each match.
The running cost of croquet lighting fixtures
Before you buy the croquet lighting fittings, you should calculate the running cost. Otherwise, selecting fixtures according to their price will not do. You need to know how much you are going to pay to save on your budget.
Here is a simple comparison between the running cost of equivalent light sources running 5 hours per day.
1. A 1,000 watts LED light
Running cost = 1,000 watt x 5 x $0.1/1,000 = $0.5 per day. That is, $15 per month, $180 per year.
2. A 10,000 watt halogen
Note: a 1,000W LED brightness is equivalent to a 10,000W halogen lamp.
Running cost = 10,000 watt x 5 x $0.1/1,000 = $5 per day. Or, $150 per month, $1,800 per year.
From this example alone, it is clear that LED lights are the obvious way to go. The cost per year of a halogen lamp is tenfold! But you could use any other type of lamp. I used halogen because they are already more efficient than the remaining alternatives.
Halogen would also last less LED due to their shorter life span. So, you also need to consider the replacement cost. That is, multiply the price per unit for all the times you need to change them, knowing that halogen lamps last 2,000-6,000 hours on average.
The installation cost of croquet court flood lights
The installation cost of croquet court flood lights is rarely considered. But here is a simple life hack to get a realistic idea of what the installation price could be.
Take the price per unit and multiply it by the given constant. Broadly speaking, you can write down both values and get a detailed estimate or a free quote to see if the service price is right.
Here is the formula:
Lamp price x 0.3 to 0.9
The constant depends on the labor location, light pole height, number of the light pole, types of light, etc.
The idea is that you should reserve some money to install or retrofit the lights before spending the budget. For this reason, at the planning phase, it is crucial to find out the optimal values to satisfy the lighting standard.
Conclusion
Running and installing croquet field flood lights can cost you a fortune. But it should not cost that much. So, it is imperative to lay out your plan before placing the purchase orders.
Go and measure the croquet field size if you are not sure about its dimensions. Moreover, consider what competitions, if any, you are going to host on it. In short, make a note of every single factor we touched upon in the first sections.
You should calculate both the costs of the lights before or while price shopping if you have no idea of the available products. At last, remember to ask for a discount. But first, get a photometric lighting simulation report. You will find out that the suggested planning will cover most of the installation expenses.
