- Initial Cost
- Annual Energy Expenses (Current and after retrofit)
- Frequency of lamp and fixture replacement (Current and after retrofit)
- Foot Candles
- Color Rendering
- Ideal Product Selection
All of these options can make a decision like this seem impossible. Luckily, with Action Services Group’s 28 years in the industry. We have devoted our resources to developing the best Industrial LED Lighting Solutions on the market. Whether you are looking to illuminate a warehouse, manufacturing, refrigeration, or data hosting center, we have a solution for you.
What are Your Industrial LED Lighting Solution Options?
When considering your options. It is important to understand that LED’s are not the only solution. While the LED may offer the best ROI for both energy efficiency and maintenance savings, there are other considerations. There are three main Industrial Lighting Solutions offered on the market today.
1. Metal-halide Lamps
While the metal-halide is the traditional option for many industrial spaces and offers an initial bright output. The quick lumen output decay and high energy consumption have the industrial industry moving in other directions. Common metal-halide lamps used in industrial applications have a typical range of 175 watts to 1000 watts. With the higher wattage producing higher light output. A 400w or 1000w HID fixture can cost between $200 and $550 to operate per lamp/year in electricity costs alone. Even without the energy costs, the maintenance issues surrounding metal-halide lamps used in industrial settings can be just as expensive as the energy costs. Not only do you have to worry about the lamp’s lifetime, but these fixtures are generally mounted in ceilings from 15ft to 45 ft. They require the use of a lift to change out the lamps and ballasts. Over the course of 3 years, you could be looking at $1,200 in labor and materials to maintain a single high bay or low bay metal-halide light fixture.
2. Fluorescent Lamps
The fluorescent lamp has also found a home in industrial spaces. While the cost of a fluorescent lamp is lower than most lamps. All fluorescent fixtures operate with 1-8 lamps per fixture. Causing multiple concerns if a single lamp is having performance issues within the fixture. The typical wattage usage of a 4ft fluorescent lamp is between 28-40 watts per lamp. If your industrial facility is utilizing 2×4 fixture. Then you are operating 4 fluorescent lamps and consuming up to 160 watts of energy per fixture. The electric cost for a single 2×4 fixture will run you $85 per year. Multiply that by the total number of fixtures in your facility and your energy costs are through the roof. After reviewing the energy consumption of fluorescents, you also need to consider their maintenance costs. Cold temperatures as well as continually switching your lamps on/off, can cause rapid deterioration. Depending upon its ballast, every time you turn a fluorescent lamp on, it degrades the ignition system within the tubes causing a much shorter lamp life. The average life span of a fluorescent lamp is between 10,000 – 30,000 hours. For a single industrial, your maintenance costs can easily reach over $1500 per fixture, per year.
3. LED Lamps
With the previous options costing a pretty penny due to energy consumption, an Industrial LED Lighting Solution has become the go-to option in the past 10 years. Light Emitting Diodes or LED’s generate light utilizing a semiconductor. They do not rely on the consumption of a fuel source like other industrial lighting solutions.
Comparing Metal-halide to an LED Solution:
Most LED fixtures utilize multi-point sources which means the fixtures have multiple diodes with individual optics. When compared to the way Metal-halide fixtures distribute light. The results in illumination are more evenly distributed across a surface. Along with these lighting performance issues; LED high bay and low bay lighting commonly utilize wattages between 95– 495 watts. Which often result in a 40%-60% reduction in energy consumption. This could mean savings of up to $300 per fixture, per year in electricity costs. Due to the way LED’s generate light their functional lifespan is much longer. An LED’s generated light output will degrade very slowly over time. As a result, their functional lifespan often exceeds 100,000 hours. The LED’s lifespan drastically reduces the costs associated with maintaining your metal-halide lighting. This could result in over $5,500 in maintenance saving for a single fixture over the course of 3 years.
Comparing Fluorescent to an LED Solution:
Likewise, for this example, most LED lighting applications range in wattage usage for 22-50 watts. Which can result in a 40% – 60% reduction in energy consumption. By retrofitting a fluorescent 2×4 to LED, your organization could save $80 per fixture, per year in energy costs. With an LED lifespan ranging from 75,000 – 150,000 hours. The LED’s lifespan drastically reduces the costs associated with maintaining fluorescent lighting. With the fact that LED’s are not affected by constantly switching them on/off. You can save up to $1000 in maintenance costs for one fixture over the course on a year.
For more on an LED’s lifespan, check out our blog, Understanding LED Lifespan.
Just the tip of the Industrial LED Lighting Solutions Iceberg
The above comparison between metal-halide, fluorescent, and Industrial LED Lighting Solutions gives you a basic idea of your options. While the numbers show staggering savings when going with the LED Solution, they are just the tip of the Industrial LED Lighting Solutions Iceberg. Below are some links to reference materials that can assist you in your search for the perfect industrial lighting solution. For more information on Industrial LED Lighting Solutions, LED products, and retrofits for your industrial space, contact Action Services Group by calling 610-558-9773, email [email protected] or schedule a call.
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