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LIGHTING
HIFs: Twice the Light & Half the Operating Cost
Alit incandescent
bulb has been the cartoon symbol of a good idea for at least
a century. But that does not mean that its kind of light
actually is a good idea any longer. As a matter of fact, the
incandescent bulb is very likely on the way out.
The same goes for the high-intensity discharge (HID) type of
lighting often used in school and hospital auditoriums,
gyms, cafeterias or larger, high-ceilinged rooms. As a
pretty reliable rule of thumb, HIDs (metal halide,
high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor lighting types) are
30%-50% more expensive just to operate than the modern
high-intensity fluorescent (HIF) type.
High-Intensity Fluorescents (HIF) operate 1,000 degrees F
cooler than HIDs. This means lower air-conditioning
expenses, and where there is no air conditioning,
warm-weather ventilation is more effective.
A 50% savings
incentive would probably cut heavily into the popularity of
these types of lighting on its own, but there is an added
reason to switch: you can get paid to do it. There are many
grants and/or rebates available that help cover the cost of
the project. These can come from a variety of sources.
For just one example, many states have organizations
comparable to Wisconsin Focus on Energy. Focus is a
public-private sector partnership that offers energy
information and services to residential, business and
industrial customers throughout that state, including grants
for energy-saving projects such as retrofitting from HID
lighting to HIF. In addition, many utilities offer
substantial rebates for energy-saving projects such as this,
and it is not unusual to see 25% of the project cost covered
this way.
On a higher governmental level, the U.S. Department of
Energy awards many grants through its State Energy Program
(http://www.eere.energy.gov). If you are in a smaller city
or rural area, it is worth looking into the U.S. Department
of Energy’s Rural Development Grants website at
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.
Having someone help finance a project that ultimately saves
you money is just one reason to consider upgrading your
lighting; it is worth doing anyway, with or without outside
help.
There are three main reasons to consider a retrofit,
although favorable economics usually outweighs the other
three by a wide margin:
1) Improved Economy Through Energy Efficiency
The rule of thumb is simple to state: replace high-intensity
discharge (HID) lights with high-intensity T8 or T5
fluorescents and you will receive up to twice the light (and
a better quality of light, at that) for about half the
operating cost.
Additional cost savings may come from these facts:
• High-intensity fluorescents operate 1,000 degrees F cooler
than HIDs. This means lower air-conditioning expenses, and
where there is no air conditioning, warmweather ventilation
is more effective.
• Fluorescent tubes cost quite a bit less and have a longer
effective life than HIDs, which adds up to lower maintenance
costs.
• The better lighting and better diffusion of HIF lighting
usually makes it possible to eliminate much, if not all,
supplemental lighting.
• The HIFs overall lower current draw will free capacity on
existing electrical panels and/or delay installation of more
panels.
The last item reflects the fact that organizations tend to
add equipment over the years, with total power usage
migrating upward.
Oddly, the cost of the new fixtures themselves is not
terribly important in overall cost calculations. In a
typical installation, 86% of the total lighting cost over
the fixture lifetime comes from the electric bill. Another
11% comes from replacement lamps and the labor of changing
them. That means that just 3% is due to the cost of the
fixtures themselves. Payback will be between 18 and 36
months.
2) Enhancements to the Interior Environment
When evaluating possible lighting improvements for your
facility, keep these in mind:
• HID lights do not provide the best color rendering to
begin with and their color shifts with age, often within
just a few months, playing havoc with their color-rendering
ability. They also lose about half their light-emitting
power over their lifetimes.
• T8 or T5 HIFs maintain their true, full-spectrum light
(often compared to sunlight at noon) over their entire
lifetimes. They lose less than 10% of their light-emitting
power over that span.
• A considerable
body of anecdotal evidence suggests students and workers do
better under full-spectrum light.
• Full-spectrum light has an antidepressant character; it is
a recognized medical treatment for the winter blahs-like
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
• The T8s and T5s have instant off-on capability. There are
no five- to 10- minute delays after power outages.
|
HID lights do not provide the best color rendering
to begin with and their color shifts with age, often
within just a few months, playing havoc with their
color-rendering ability. |
3) Safety and
Health Benefits
Most schools and
hospitals are already pretty safe, but increasing the level
and quality of light in a professional manner is an obvious
benefit to safety and helps reduce the chance of accidents.
Moreover, poor lighting can affect eyesight and cause
eyestrain.
Finally, there is a simple attractiveness to the
full-spectrum lighting of T8s or T5s that must be
experienced directly. Most people describe the light as
“excellent,” “clean” or “crisp.” They like being in it. One
person said that going into an area lit by T8s seemed to
give him a “Vitamin D rush.”
So, take a close look at energy-efficient T8s or T5s and for
grants that may be available in your area. Your students,
workforce, maintenance crew will be just as pleased with it
as the bean- counters. That’s because it is a truly good
idea.
Orion Energy Systems manufactures and markets energy
efficient lighting solutions for the manufacturing,
distribution center, warehousing, commercial, school,
institutional and gymnasium markets. Based in Plymouth,
Wisconsin, Orion provides capacity displacement solutions
for supply side management, transmission management, and
demand side management for the electricity industry. For
more information, and to view the NBR segment, visit
www.oriones.com or contact Linda Diedrich, director of
corporate communications at ljd@oes1.com or 920.482.1988.
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