Is this some type of new building code, because, when I go to a newer shopping center, they have LED parking lot lighting, and even indoor LED fixtures, and I don't see a fluorescent or MH fixtures. They seem to put LED fixtures in newer building structures. Could this be a new building code?

No, I've seen new structures going up with HPS around here.

Not code, but many builders and building owners get energy rebates if they use LED.  The vast majority will have LED everything now. 

Not code, but many builders and building owners get energy rebates if they use LED

LED are supposed to save energy, so go ahead, install them and save on energy as you please. Adding rebates on top of that is cheating : The real energy savings are not sufficient to justify their use, so rebates are added to promote them

I still see places with old fluorescent lighting like at gas stations

Yea unfortunately power companies and the govt are pushing them on companies by subsidizing the high cost of led fixtures for them. Georgia power (southern company) I think at one point even advertised this over the radio here. Most times new installs and refits here are 100% led.

Yea unfortunately power companies and the govt are pushing them on companies by subsidizing the high cost of led fixtures for them. Georgia power (southern company) I think at one point even advertised this over the radio here. Most times new installs and refits here are 100% led.

Am I just in somewhat of a lucky spot then?

I would say so, yes.

I don't think any building code would mandate the lighting type. But most companies I'm sure are moving toward retrofitting their stores to LED so of course any new builds would include them. It would be a corporate decision. I haven't noticed a lot of LED in existing stores, I will have to look closer at the lights in the newer stores, but I know the gas stations all started moving to them, especially Shell. And a lot of signs use the LED tubes. LEDs have been used in stores for years though, I know my Winn Dixie was redone in 2008 and all of the spotlights and freezer lighting is LED put in then. I will have to look at the new Publix stores in my area and see what they have. I thought it was fluorescent but it seems most likely LED.

The new development in the centre of Aberdeen has got awful LED fixtures on the buildings.

The new development in the centre of Aberdeen has got awful LED fixtures on the buildings.

Absolutely, it looks awful. The whole development is totally out of character with its surroundings, the lighting is just one of the things we hate about it 

Here in the Peoples Republic of Seattle, the city has its own energy code, and they will jump on anything that saves a couple of watts. Trying to keep up with the energy politics can be daunting.

Here in the Peoples Republic of Seattle, the city has its own energy code, and they will jump on anything that saves a couple of watts. Trying to keep up with the energy politics can be daunting.

The problem is that there are two budgets, the one for the electricity costs and the one for buying the fixtures. Those responsible for one don't speak to the other.

It seems to me it's all about saving electricity costs; they'll spend millions on new LED fixtures to save a minimal amount of electricity, and never mind the quality of the light output 

Re: budgets. Some people (bean counters, most notably) will get the cheapest lighting they can find, in the LED department, of course because of low energy use. If the lights last at least a year, then it will be next year's budget that will take care of replacements. This year's purchases don't blow the budget because cheap fixtures were bought, and eventual failures will be taken care of in future budgets.

It might not be the case everywhere, but it is the mentality around here.

I once asked about group relamping the HPS fixtures outside my work place, because another would fail once they repaired the ones that were out. The reply was that it is cheaper to spot replace (repair) because you have to purchase less lamps. Not a word was said that it was seldom only a new lamp that was required because they let the ignitors get bad from trying to start dead lamps too long. Of course, "the ballast is bad and has to be replaced". They didn't even think about the ignitor, and they didn't keep some spares. And the story continues until someone had the idea of changing out the fixtures to LED... :-( Of course, a bucket truck had to be hired to access said fixtures, not something that is low cost...

Replacing a fixture now and then because of a bad ignition is probably cheaper than bringing out a truck every time a lamp starts to cycle. For all the comments about how you can't replace parts in LED fixtures, that's generally not done with HPS either. If it doesn't turn on with a new lamp and photocell Xcel would install a new fixture without any further troubleshooting and the old entire fixture would go to the recycler.