I just added on to my pole-barn garage, it now has 1500 square feet. There is a single flourecent (and door opener) lighting it currently. I would like to add some serious lighting as I work on my cars, and do woodworking in there, unlike the previous owner.
The ceiling height goes from 12-16', is this too short for high bay lighting?
Is there something more economical than high-bay?
Times change. Looking at lighting a new pole barn, I found myself looking at 250W high bay LED lights, which put out about 33,000lm. These are more efficient than many existing LED lights and the cost (Dec 2020) is about $115.00. Furthermore, they are dimmable, which means that I can use a lower intensity when I am not doing detail work.
Four units will more than adequately cover my 40x60x16 foot pole barn.
Since we get sub-zero temps in the winter, the temperature range of the lights was important, and these are rated from -22F to +130F.
Additionally these are used for outdoor lighting are similar to parking lot and street lighting.
There are different dispersion angles, and a 120 degree angle may work better with a 12 to 16' height. 90 degree are normally used with higher ceilings, such as 25'.
My recommendation is that when looking for effective lighting for a pole barn LED high bay lighting be considered. Technology has changed since the OP posted this, and it was answered.
I'd probably try for a mix of natural light, fluorescent, and point lights.
The natural light will be the most economical, but obviously fails at night.
The fluorescent lighting should give you enough light for most working conditions.
And the point lights should help for when you need to do detail work or get under the hood of your cars. You can find point lights on articulated arms, that way you can just grab and move the light to wherever you need it. Mounting an arm or two on each pole would probably be enough.
