CFL Fluorescent

Information On Fluorescent Lighting Uses

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:02:58 +0000

Fluorescent Lighting Fixtures are more energy efficient compared to other fixtures. Fluorescent bulbs, in these fixtures, use gas discharge and electricity to produces light. The secret is the mercury found inside the bulb. The mercury vaporizes, producing ultraviolet light in a phosphorous surrounding.

Some bulbs, particularly the incandescent, rely on heat reaction to give off the illumination. They use more energy and quickly become hot. Fluorescent bulbs are an energy efficient light source that is recommended by most engineers and lighting consultants.

These bulbs are also used in many light fixtures because fluorescent light converts more efficiently into visible light than other bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs have 22%. Luminous efficacy and Incandescent bulbs have 10%.

Admittedly, the cost of fluorescent light bulbs is three times higher than most bulbs; however, its long-term benefits far outweigh the financial issue. One way to check your cost is by looking on your electric bill. Look at your bill before you install fluorescents and then after.

Fluorescent lighting fixtures optimizes energy input so that only less is used for maximum brightness. If you have been using incandescent bulbs for your interior lighting for quite some time, you will notice that your electric bill will be quite high. By switching to fluorescent, you are making a big step to have energy efficient light.

In addition, a fluorescent tube can last up to six times longer, compared to other bulbs, making it ideal for rooms that require longer hours of continuous light. Further, it will not burn out from continuous on and off switching.

If the room gets hot quickly, or is sensitive to heat, then fluorescent lighting fixture is ideal because it produces less heat. Since it produces less pollution from heat emissions, this helps to reduce the pollution of the environment.

Incandescent bulbs produce high amount of heat which merges into the atmosphere, aggravating global warming. Fluorescent therefore should be globally used for the sake of our planet.

The new designs of fluorescent fixtures, fluorescent lamps and recessed fluorescent lighting are effective in creating light moods; however, they come with more expensive prices. Today, as technology advances, you have more attractive interior lighting designs. These designs are available as recessed lighting, wall lighting, kitchen lighting, and ceiling lighting.

One of the best choices you can get is dimmable fluorescent fixture. It has the capacity to customize the brightness of the light with its dimmer switch. This is an added advantage on your part because the dimmer the light is, the more energy efficient it is, giving you more savings.

If you are a business owner, you can get more return on your investments by using a fluorescent lighting fixture. This is particularly helpful if your business is a restaurant or a bar that requires several types of lighting systems. Or, even if you have a commercial office, paying less for your electricity is truly rewarding.

The fluorescent tube is the best source of cost-efficient and energy efficient light. Whether you are planning to renovate any part of your house, or buying a new house, switching to fluorescent lighting fixtures can bring benefits to you and to the environment.

CFL Fluorescent

Information On Fluorescent Lighting Uses

From Fluorescent to High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide, Grow Lights Help You Flex Your Flower Power

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:49:35 +0000

If growing plants indoors is something that interests you, then you’ll most likely need grow lights to help accomplish the job. A grow light provides the special lighting and light spectrum that plants need to grow and thrive, and there are two types of lights that accomplish this: high intensity discharge lights, and fluorescent lights. High intensity discharge grow lights come in two varieties — the metal halide grow light (often referred to as MH), and the high pressure sodium grow light (often referred to as HPS). The metal halide light is designed to nurture plants during their growing cycle. The growing cycle applies to pants that are non-fruiting and/or non-blooming.

The high pressure sodium lights are designed for those plants that are in the fruiting or blooming processes. The HPS grow lights come enhanced with the blue spectrum (this is used for vegetative growth) or the red spectrum (this is used for the flowering growth). The nice thing about these types of grow lights is that they can be used throughout the entire growing, fruiting and blooming process for most plants. Fluorescent grow lights do not emit as much light as the other types of grow lights that are available on the market, and so they are not intended to be used during the plant cycle, since the lack of a bright light will yield only small growth results. Instead, fluorescent grow lights should have its softer and gentler light used to help seedlings and cuttings begin to generate growth. Fluorescent lighting is best used to help nurture young plants and blooms.

No matter what type of grow light systems you have, it will use some kind of ballast system which enables the bulb or tube to generate enough energy to strike and give off light. Typically, metal halide grow lights and HPS grow lights run from remote ballasts. A remote ballast is a special configuration in which external boxes contain the electronics and wiring needed to pre-heat the lamp, and then keep it running. Why should you use grow lights? Well, look at a plant as if it is a factory that manufactures goods from raw materials and products. Factors need energy to run, and so do plans. The energy source that enables them to grow comes from grow lights (hence the name). Usually, it is natural sunlight that is used to feed plants with the energy they need, but grow lights can be a reliable and suitable substitution.

CFL Fluorescent

From Fluorescent to High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide, Grow Lights Help You Flex Your Flower Power

LIGHT PANELS MAKE YOUR HOUSE A HOME

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:26:35 +0000

Owning a beautiful home with soothing blue tinted light emanating from some fluorescent light panels in the living room ceiling is a dream we all share; well, maybe not everyone dreams about the “soothing blue tinted light” and the fluorescent panels, but everyone dreams of a beautiful and well lit house. In fact, owning a home is more than just a dream; it’s a basic human need; and a well planned lighting system is the key to making it stand out.

Have you ever heard the saying, “all houses are the same”? Well, to some extent, they are; since they all have floors, ceilings and walls. If it stands alone, a house is simply a structure and nothing more. What makes a house different is the person living in that house; what makes a house a home is you and everything unique about you. And, that’s why every great lighting system always includes decorative fluorescent light panels; because a decorative light panel allows you to bring your character into your home.

Since a lot of us can’t really afford to have our house renovated, the next best thing to do would be to plan how we want our home lit. It’s all about the lights and how decorative fluorescent light panels can help you transform an ordinary house into your own “personally styled” home.

First, you have to select the design you want from your fluorescent panels; and with each of the many decorative light panel designs as beautiful as the next, this is no easy task; unless you already know what you want. You may even choose different decorative light panel designs, from pastel colors and blue skies to gloomy gray and clouds, to place in the different areas of your house.

Once you’ve made your choice, all you have to do is buy those fluorescent panels and install them; and believe me, that’s the easy part. The price is so “drop down” affordable and the installation so easy, that you’ll surely be going out again to get some more of those beautiful fluorescent light panels.

So start planning you home’s lighting design now; and don’t forget to plan which style of decorative light panel you need for your perfect home; because a house is just a structure if you don’t make it your own.

CFL Fluorescent

LIGHT PANELS MAKE YOUR HOUSE A HOME

In the Right Light: What You Need to Know about CFL Bulbs

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:04:42 +0000

For those in need of a refresher, CFLs provide numerous benefits over other options. Some of the features of CFLs include:

CFL bulbs last longer, saving your customers money:

Although they cost more to purchase, consumers actually end up saving money because of the longer life of the bulb (up to ten times longer life). An Energy Star qualified bulb will save customers about $30 over the lifetime of the bulb. This savings gives vendors the opportunity to up-sell additional products.

CFLs are energy efficient:

CFL bulbs use about 75% less energy than tradition incandescent light bulbs. Not only this, the energy they do use is being used more effectively. Up to 80% of energy used by incandescent is wasted as heat, not light. Ultra efficient bulbs don’t have this problem, making them run both cooler and more efficiently.

What are they?

Compact fluorescent light bulbs don’t operate the tradition way: running current through a wire filament until it gets hot enough to glow. CFLs drive current through vapors, creating ultraviolet light, which is then converted inside the tube into visible light. Older CFLs have magnetic ballasts which often buzz, new CFLs have replaced this with electric ballasts, which operate silently. Newer energy efficient CFLs really are a fascinating and unique concept.

Mercury: the honest truth:

Yes, CFLs do contain trace amounts of mercury (about 4 milligrams in each bulb.) On the other hand, power plants emit a significant amount of mercury. The reduced energy consumption of CFLs means that there is a net reduction of the amount of mercury emitted for lighting purposes. Also it is worth mentioning that broken CFLs can be cleaned up without involving the fire department.

As compact fluorescent lights grow in usage it is important that vendors stay abreast of all the options and considerations of newer light bulbs when suggesting an effective lighting solution to their clients. These energy efficient light bulbs truly do offer superior performance over incandescent.

For more about CFL light bulbs, energy efficient lighting options, or to order light bulbs (both retail and wholesale) please contact Florida’s lighting experts, Superior Lighting. We can be reached on the web at http://www.superiorlighting.com or by calling (800) 432-7995.

CFL Fluorescent

In the Right Light: What You Need to Know about CFL Bulbs

Commercial Office Lighting

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:12:37 +0000

As a business owner, you are obligated to provide your employees with a comfortable and productive place to work. This is why it is important to carefully choose the lights under which they work. The wrong commercial office lighting can have a detrimental effect. If you have installed lighting in the past, you already know that every project is different, and general advice can only go so far. You will still need to consult with an expert concerning the finer specifics of your commercial fluorescent office lighting project. Then you can decide if you want to follow these general tips to choose and install the lighting yourself, or if you will need to hire an electrical contractor.

In the past, working in an office was often very tiring, even before doing any work. People in waiting rooms have experienced eye strain and fatigue just from sitting underneath older generation indoor fluorescent lights. This resulted from the poor power control of older magnetic ballasts in these antiquated commercial office lighting fixtures. It would produce a barely audible humming sound as well as a discernible flickering. Additionally, the bulbs in those fixtures had a mixture of gases and metals which cast a slightly yellowish glow, which leads to eyestrain. Can you image how much worse it is for your employees, who also have the added stress of their work with which to deal? Since fluorescent lamps have such a long life, you might still have some of these older bulbs in your older lighting fixtures. If your lights are older than ten years, you will need to install a new commercial office lighting control system for the betterment of your employees.

Things to look for in commercial office lighting fixtures are those which offer easy access to the bulbs and ballasts for quick replacements. Your choices will most likely lean toward dimming fluorescent light fixtures. These energy efficient lamps are easy to install and save on operating costs by requiring less electricity to light and fewer bulb replacements than incandescent. The most commonly seen are ceiling mounted, either flush or atop, lamps. These will use the traditional tube shaped fluorescent lights. Today’s fluorescent wall mounted lights have better color rendering than those of the past. No longer will your employees have a yellowish look to their skin. Eyestrain from that yellow light is also reduced. The brightness of the lights will also help them to work more productively.

If you do not want to install tube fluorescent lighting fixtures for your commercial office lighting, but you still want the energy efficiency of fluorescent bulbs, you could have traditional lights that require a screw-in bulb such as an incandescent. By replacing these incandescent with compact fluorescent bulbs, you can lower your energy costs, and, depending upon the number of lights you replace, lower the temperature in your office. This is because incandescent lighting waste much of the energy they use in producing heat. This can affect the air conditioner thermostat and make the cooling system run needlessly.

Energy savings will be very important when you are choosing your commercial chandelier office lighting. You need the brightest of lights for the least amount of energy used. Finding this combination only benefits you and your employees.

CFL Fluorescent

Commercial Office Lighting

Lighting For Your Reef Tank

admin — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:45:09 +0000

Proper lighting is one of the most important factors for the success of your reef tank. Reef tanks contain corals, and corals are photosensitive. These beautifully colored aquatic animals require light to thrive in their own habitat. Naturally, they absorb the sunrays that enter into the water. Hence, the lighting arrangement you provide must at least try to replicate their natural environment. Then, esthetics comes into play too. Without the right kind of lighting, you will not be able to do proper justice to the inhabitants of your reef tank.

The first thing to consider about lighting up reef tanks is how much light you will be needing. The amount of light depends in a major way on the types of corals you are using in the tank. If your corals are photosensitive, then you will certainly need more light. Photosensitive corals can even die in the absence of proper lighting. Reef lighting must be ideally 4 to 6 watts per gallon if the tank houses mostly low light sensitivity coral, but it must be up to 10 watts per gallon if the coral is highly light sensitive. At the same time, the depth of the tank is also to be taken into account. Since all kinds of aquarium reef lighting are placed on top of the tank, their intensity will decrease as the light travels downwards. That is why taller reef tanks must have more intense lights than the squat ones.

The most popular kinds of lighting available for reef tanks are the fluorescent tubes. The VHO (Very High Output) fluorescent tubes are the most commonly used. These tubes produce light that is very close to natural light, and hence they are well suited to reef tanks. They produce very good intensities too (110 watts per 4 feet), which make them an economical choice. The VHO fluorescent tubes spread the light very evenly within the tank, which is good for temperature distribution. VHO fluorescent tubes are available in two natural colors - the full spectrum white (also known as the daylight tubes) that imitates sunlight and the actinic blue that closely resembles the bluish color of the ocean bottom. It is a good idea to buy a reef light that is a mixture of 50% of spectrum and 50% of actinic blue (such mixture lights are available).

For those who do not mind spending a few extra dollars on their reef tank lighting, the power compact fluorescent lights are the best options. These are fluorescent tubes that are bent several times and attached to a power source from only one end. The advantage of these lights is that they occupy a very small space within the tank, but give better light than the VHO fluorescent lights do. A 55-watt power compact fluorescent light will produce as much light as a 95 watt VHO fluorescent light. They are also power saving, and work for a very long time.

Another option is to go for the metal halide lights. Metal halide lights are good at throwing light in the reef tank, but they are not good for distributing light within the tank. Due to this reason, the tank can get hot due to inadequate temperature distribution. However, metal halide lights are good for prohibiting the growth of algae within the tank. The metal halide lights are the cheapest among the different form of reef lighting.

CFL Fluorescent

Lighting For Your Reef Tank

Industrial Fluorescent Lighting

admin — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:45:48 +0000

Recent laws have been passed that require all incandescent lights to be replaced by 2010. Because of this, industrial fluorescent lights are going to play a major role in future lighting design for factories, warehouses, and office parks in need of new architectural area lighting systems. We strongly recommend that you urge your clients invest in new lights now in order to avoid possible part shortages that could impact those who wait until the last minute. RLLD Commercial Lighting understands that many of your clients may be reluctant to spend money during a recession. In reality, there is no better time than the present to propose to fluorescent light fixtures to clients whose genuine need and limited budget make them ideal candidates However, you can overcome their fears by showing your clients the many benefits that industrial fluorescent light fixtures bring to the table. Helping them understand how this evolving technology can actually help them recession-proof their businesses can function as a pivotal fulcrum that tips negotiations in your favor. Who wouldn’t want to invest in longer-lasting, energy efficient equipment whose reduced power consumption and lower maintenance cost will compound savings that pay back the value of the purchase order and potentially generates a revenue surplus? To help you show your clients this kind of savings/reinvestment potential, RLLD Commercial Lighting will provide you with a free photometric analysis of your client’s site. This schematic will itemize the exact number of industrial fluorescent light fixtures, their necessary CRI and LPW efficiencies, and point-by-point installment points so you can lay proof to your claims directly on the bidding table.

Industrial fluorescent lights last longer than other luminaires. Clients who enjoy wasting money on new equipment do not exist in our reality. People in our world buy things to last, and they expect their money’s worth anytime they spend it. Industrial fluorescent lighting will prove its value to these frugal clients the minute the lights power one. Clients will experience a light that is more comfortable to the eyes (generally industrial fluorescent lamps create significantly less glare), and lower electric bills. This is going to be a major turning point for contractors in cities such as Houston, TX. The city government here recently toughened up on LPW codes. In August, the new law mandates no more than.05 watt for ever lumen produced. With these changes on the near horizon, it is crucial for contractors in Houston and other similar major cities to propose lamps that will generate more light with less electricity. As a general rule, industrial fluorescent light fixtures feature a superb LPW and offer the additional benefit of cooler operating temperatures. For warehouses using currently using HID high bay and low bay lights, replacing existing fixtures with fluorescent industrial bay lights can lower the temperature within the building and generate further savings on HVAC cooling costs.

Fluorescent lights are found almost everywhere in the world of industry and distribution. Fluorescent industrial lights occupy the unique position of being some of the most diversified and versatile lighting sources in the world. You will find industrial fluorescent light sources in almost every indoor and outdoor lighting system. This is almost universally true in material handling, manufacturing, and shipping receiving companies who have to squeeze every penny on overhead to turn a profit. Because industrial fluorescent lights render color at only 8 points less than that of natural light, fluorescent low bays are an excellent line item to propose to any client that needs a better light source over an assembly line or work area characterized by highly detailed work or potentially dangerous tasks. For industrial site lighting, fluorescents perform competitively against a large percentage of HID area lights. In today’s energy and environmentally conscious marketplace, you see everything from industrial fluorescent bollards and decorative landscape lights to powerful fluorescent floodlights linked to motion detectors and advanced alarms. Warehouses commonly use industrial fluorescent wall packs for glare free, economic lighting around building perimeters and loading docks. Canopy lights with fluorescent lamps also serve as highly efficient and vandal-proof fixtures for industrial walkway lighting and parking garage lighting.

Fluorescent fixtures produce a higher quality of light than ever before. The stereotype of industrial fluorescent lights as headache generators have long since been overcome and disproven by newer, superior ballast technology that has made fluorescent light itself free of any flickering or yellowing effects such as those seen by their primitive forerunners of the past. Today’s fluorescents produce a comfortable, white, glare-free luminance that is easy on the eyes and fits hand in glove with glare and light pollution regulations. It is important to explain to your clients the differences between cheap, retail fluorescents that use inferior ballasts and specification grade industrial fluorescent fixtures. The all-American-made, specification quality fixtures that we supply to contractors feature the very best electronic ballasts in a variety of voltages engineered for superior electron flow, power management, exceptional CRI, and photometric delivery power. This represents the highest level of manufacturing and engineering quality in our industry; which is why so many general contractors and commercial builders rely upon RLLD Commercial as their exclusive vendor.

RLLD Commercial Lighting offers complimentary design services to all who purchase equipment. We have heavily invested in some of the world’s most advanced lighting design software so that you won’t have to. This software enables us to take basic raw data pertaining to your client’s facility, input that data into our system, and develop a point-by-point photometric schematic of an entire indoor and outdoor lighting design system. This schematic will fully address the many dynamics of LPW and light pollution requirements, your client’s budget, projected maintenance costs (if any), and lamp life requirements. For clients investing in industrial security lights, building lights, or sign lights, knowing the exact number and type of fluorescent fixtures necessary to fulfill luminance requirements can avert over purchasing and present a more streamlined proposal for you to bring to the table.

CFL Fluorescent

Industrial Fluorescent Lighting

Less or More Light? Be the Judge

admin — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 02:45:47 +0000

Colors are powerful, it could bring you up or down, and it could actually direct or rule your life.

Life without color is never enjoyable. Color brings joy, happiness, enthusiasm and vitality in ones life. It gives us the kind of rush to keep going and going until we become something. A colorless abode is but a reflection of the kind of person who is living there. Sometimes such boring shelter could even affect the disposition of the person staying or residing there.

With this in mind, interior designers, home decor experts and architects came up with the idea of a decorative light panel. It is some kind of acrylic board that is mostly installed in the ceiling with fantastic and wonderful designs to choose from. These decorative light panels are not made of polystyrene which turns into yellow for two to three years. Also, it is made to diffuse light to reduce the harsh glare emanating from other existing fluorescent lighting.

However, some architects and interior designers are quite wary of installing any decorative light panel because of the potential loss of light. The brightness of the light is relatively important in some locations that require heavy focusing on small details like that in medical or dental clinics.

Light diffuser panels are recommended more in rooms that have large windows, light walls, and brightly-colored carpet or flooring, since with that you are likely to notice little or no loss of brightness. For rooms with smaller windows, no natural source of light, or darker wall or floor coverings, there may be a brightness loss of up to 10 percent so light panels might not be such a good idea.

So, if you regard light levels with extreme importance, then you might consider replacing your regular bulbs with color-corrected lamps will prevent the loss of brightness. All in all, there is really more to life if you would consider putting decorative fluorescent light panels in your house, office or even dormitories. It may lose a little light, yes. But we could promise you a soothing and calming effect insider your abode.

CFL Fluorescent

Less or More Light? Be the Judge

Choosing Functional And Decorative Kitchen Lighting

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:34:52 +0000

The kitchen is among the most important areas of a house, it is not just the place for cooking or eating, it also becomes the center for social and administrative matters. As such, the kitchen is known to consume a lot of electricity for lighting, and it is thus important to install good lighting in this room to ensure productivity and efficiency.

Lighting a kitchen involves three important goals - to create a lighting scheme that encourages productivity, to choose the appropriate types of lamps for energy efficiency, and to install the right lighting controls for efficient light management. These three elements are quite essential for ensuring the kitchen is well lighted.

Good lighting design is essential for kitchen productivity. Here are some tips for kitchen lighting:

1. Use fluorescent lights for most of the kitchen - fluorescent lamps are very efficient lighting fixtures. They consume less energy than incandescent lamps and they provide more lighting coverage. A kitchen needs ample light for long periods and thus it would benefit from the energy efficiency and the large light output that fluorescent lamps can provide.

2. Begin by installing lighting on work areas - work areas need the most light and it would be economical to concentrate lighting on these spots. Mount large fluorescent lights under cabinets so that they can provide light directly to the counters. Some cabinets however may not be able to accommodate fluorescent lights, they need some space to hide the lamps. You can have a carpenter add a few more inches to the cabinet’s face frame so that the lamps can hide easily behind them.

Normally, T-8 lamps are narrow enough to fit in most cabinets, but if the spaces are more cramped, you might need to get a T-5 lamp. You can also use recessed lights over the counters to illuminate them during kitchen tasks.

3. Install general background lighting once all the work areas are done - having good task lights in the kitchen, you probably would not need general background lighting, but it would still be good to have one if you still have money left. Again, fluorescent lights are best for this purpose as they provide good coverage. You would only need one or two large lamps installed in the ceiling, and perhaps with reflectors to increase the lighting range.

4. Use incandescent lights sparingly - incandescent lamps are very inefficient, especially for functional lighting in the kitchen. An incandescent lamp uses only 10 percent of energy for lighting, and the rest it uses for heat production. Thus it is not advisable to use incandescent lamps in the kitchen, where light is needed all the time. They should only be used as accent lights.

While halogen lamps may be more efficient compared to incandescent lamps, they are still not good for kitchen lighting. Light form halogen lamps are too focused, and one would need a lot to achieve good coverage. They may be good, however, for lighting specific spots for certain tasks in the kitchen.

5. Use several light switches - It is important to be able to control which light you would want to turn on at a particular time. Thus it would be good to have different switches for different lights on the kitchen. Have at least a switch for general lighting and then another one for task lighting.

6. Use dimmers for incandescent and halogen lamps - these lamps are known for their inefficiency in energy use, and thus it would be advisable to use dimmers for them to control their energy consumption. It is not recommended to use dimmers for fluorescent lamps as they are quite expensive and can easily damage the lamps.

7. Figure out which light is best serve as night lights - you would need to have some light on through the night in case you need to go to the kitchen late. A fluorescent lamp under the cabinet by the sink might be good for this purpose.

Lighting is an essential component of kitchen design. Good lighting can encourage productivity and efficiency in this very important part of the home. With a good lighting design not only can you ensure a pleasing kitchen that is easy to work on, but you can ensure that your electricity bills would not go beyond your budget.

CFL Fluorescent

Choosing Functional And Decorative Kitchen Lighting

Fluorescent High Bay Fixtures Can Replace Your HID Lighting and Save You Lots of Money

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:34:46 +0000

Introduction: The function of high bay lighting is to light surface which are more than 15 feet away. Some common kinds of high bay applications can be seen in gymnasiums, warehouses and factories etc. All lamps which are used in applications are consists of mercury. In recent times, both high intensity fluorescent technologies (HIF) and HID have gained popularity but the performance of HIF technology is understood better in many applications that is which has given HIF opportunity to gain market share. The improved technology of fluorescent lamps and the invention of new HIF fixtures have composed the most cost effective choice as fluorescent lighting for indoor areas like warehouses, big retail stores, factories and athletic facilities (Lighting: HID Versus Fluorescent for High-Bay Lighting, 2007, p 1 para 1).

History of fluorescent lighting: Generally people associate lighting and lamps with incandescent light bulb which was invented by Thomas Alwa Edison and some other inventors. These kinds of bulbs perform on the basis of electricity and filament. When these bulbs are heated by electricity, the filament gets high temperature so it glows and gives light. Fluorescent bulbs like arc and vapor perform differently. The light does not come due to heat; it is produced through the chemical reactions, which happen when the application of electricity is on different gases encircled in a glass void compartment (The History of Fluorescent Lights, 2009, para 1).

In 1857 Alaxandre E. Becquerel discovered the fact of fluorescence and phosphorescence. He imagined the creation of fluorescent tubes as same as they are made presently. He did some experiments on coating electric discharge tubes, which were combined with luminescent materials. This was the procedure which further expanded in fluorescent lamps (The History of Fluorescent Lights, 2009, para 2).

In 1901Peter Cooper Hewitt got exclusive rights on the first mercury vapor lamp (The History of Fluorescent Lights, 2009 para 3). His low pressure mercury arc lamps became the very first of its kind for today’s modern fluorescent type. Edmund Germer discovered a high pressure vapor lamp which helped in producing economical light with less heat. In 1927 he copyrighted an experimental fluorescent lamp. Some historians give Edmund Germer the credit of inventing the first true fluorescent lamp (The History of Fluorescent Lights, 2009, para 7).

T5 Lamps: High lumen fluorescent systems are gaining a lot of popularity where T5 fixtures are presented in 4 and 6 lamps configurations whose effective process can be related to high bay applications. They are flexible systems which are some levels higher than any other high bay applications. It has following characteristics (High Bay lighting Solutions, 2007, p 3, para 1):

* It provides the most light with the help of the fewest lamps.

* It is good for using with occupancy sensors.

* It is ideal for maintaining lamp life in frequently switched applications.

* It has 120-277 volt and 347-480 volt ballasts.

* It can increase lumen output at 35 c ambient temperatures.

* It is specially designed for high bay applications.

* Its technology is very high which can reduce generated heat.

* It consists of thermal technology that can remove heat.

* It has the facility of additional energy savings (High Bay lighting Solutions, 2007, p 3, para 2).

Comparison with HID: HID lamps are thought to be point sources as they throw intense light in a small area. These kinds of lamps can be used for distant purposes such as indoor and outdoor sports facilities, warehouses, factories, where the ceilings are high and street lightings are used (Lighting: HID Versus Fluorescent for High-Bay Lighting, 2007, p 1, para 1).

If we compare HID with HIF lamps some disadvantages of HID lamps have been observed (High Bay lighting Solutions, 2007, p 2, para 2):

* They consume high energy.

* They have warm up and restrike delays as they cannot be related with occupancy censors effectively.

* Their noise is not favorable for quiet ambient

* Their lumen maintenance is very low where significant reduction in lower output can be observed.

* The color is very poor. CRI rates between 60 and 70. Color also varies from one lamp to other lamp.

* Its matching efficiency is less than 80%.

Now if we see benefits of high lumen fluorescent systems it can tell the difference between them and HID (High Bay lighting Solutions, 2007, p 2, para 3):

* HIF are energy efficient. They can save up to 50% energy.

They are instant and they have no warm up time. They have good relation with occupancy sensors so they can save maximum energy.

* Its operation is not noisy instead it is quiet. Its sound has been rated A.

* Its color is excellent. CRI rates between 75 and 85. It does not have any color variation or shift over time.

* Its matching efficiencies are higher than 90% (High Bay lighting Solutions, 2007, p 2, para 3).

While calculating energy efficiency it is necessary to check the number of lamps and as well as watts per lamp (High-Bay Lighting: Opportunities for Mercury Reduction and Energy Efficiency, p 3, para 4). For example four HO T5 lamps or induction fluorescent lamps are needed to create the same amount of light like HID lamp. If the lumens per watt are higher, we will need less electricity for light. If a lighting system uses less Kilowatt hr per year, a facility will use less electricity and it will pay for that (High-Bay Lighting: Opportunities for Mercury Reduction and Energy Efficiency, 2003, p 3, para 4).

Switching from HID lamps to HO T5 fluorescent lamps: It has become a common trend to switch over from HIS lamps to HO T5 lamps that can increase energy efficiency in high bay lighting situation like warehouses etc. HO T5 and induction fluorescents (High-Bay Lighting: Opportunities for Mercury Reduction and Energy Efficiency, 2003, p 2, para 7):

* are capable of insant-on and instant re-strike.

* They can be applied on energy saving occupancy sensors.

* They can be regulated through dimming

* They have lower rate mercury content than HID lamps (High-Bay Lighting: Opportunities for Mercury Reduction and Energy Efficiency, 2003, p 2, para 7).

Recommendations: Facility owners, architects and managers who use high bay lighting applications should opt for the most energetic efficient system where the lowest mercury content is suitable for making and reshaping projects. For improving colors projects should be evaluated carefully. A buyer should consult a lighting professional before buying lighting system in this way the whole project can be assessed to check energy efficiency, lighting level and suitable color depiction. You should tell your lighting professional that your company will like low mercury alternatives (High-Bay Lighting: Opportunities for Mercury Reduction and Energy Efficiency, 2003, p 3, para 9).

Thank you for reading. I am engineer by training and have worked in a variety of manufacturing environments. In the past few years I have been heavily involved in commercial and industrial lighting. I have found out that the fluorescent high bays can be a tremendous improvement in savings and provide better features for each and every manufacturing operation and warehouse.

LED is very hot these days but still a long ways away in my opinion for the industrial and commercial applications. There is some movement in street lighting and some area lighting but LED has not settled yet, it is constantly moving and improving. Although there is a lot of investment in development and new products, potential main-stream buyers are sitting on the sidelines and watching for something to settle.

In his famous book "Crossing the Chasm,"Geoffrey Moore talks about adoption of new technology to the main stream market place. He mentions that there are "Innovators" who take on new things early on in the adoption cycle and then there is the "Early Majority." I think the Early Majority is waiting on the sidelines. This is my personal observation.

Government provides incentives for the switch over and I have a link on my website to this tremendous resource. If you are waiting on the sidelines for LED you are missing out on what fluorescent high bays can do for you… and do it NOW. I hope you check it out. www.fluorescent-high-bay.com

CFL Fluorescent

Fluorescent High Bay Fixtures Can Replace Your HID Lighting and Save You Lots of Money