| Although incandescent lamps are more frequently | | | | years by phosphor coated interior bulb walls. |
| used in residential lighting applications, some commercial | | | | The life of mercury vapor lamps is good, averaging |
| lighting fixtures also used this technology. Incandescent | | | | 24,000 hours for larger wattage lamps. However, |
| lamps pass current through a filament, which causes | | | | because the output diminishes so greatly over time, |
| the filament to give off light. Because they are | | | | economical operational life is often much shorter. |
| relatively short lived, incandescents are used mostly as | | | | Efficacy ranges from 30 to 60 lumens per watt, with |
| decorative commercial lighting fixtures. Their ability to | | | | the higher wattages being more efficacious than the |
| render warm colors effectively without ballast makes | | | | lower wattages. |
| them well suited to this application, and the enormous | | | | As with other HID lamps, the starting of a mercury |
| variety of bulb designs make them highly soft after | | | | vapor lamp is not immediate. Starting time is short, |
| source of any type of accent lighting or decorum | | | | though, taking 4-7 minutes to achieve maximum output |
| based commercial lighting design. | | | | depending upon the ambient temperature. |
| Fluorescent Lighting Fixtures | | | | High Pressure Sodium (HPS) Light Fixtures |
| Fluorescent lamps are used extensively in commercial | | | | High Pressure Sodium (HPS) commercial lighting |
| lighting fixtures for a number of reasons. First and | | | | fixtures gained huge popularity in the 1970s to meet |
| foremost of these reasons is their ability to use less | | | | the needs of a powerful, yet super efficient, source of |
| power than other commercial lighting fixtures, making | | | | HID lighting. Lumens per watt output in an HPS lamp |
| them very cost effective from an energy | | | | can be as high as 140 lumens per watt, approximately |
| conservation perspective. Fluorescent bulbs also | | | | 7 times the luminance as incandescent lamps and |
| produce a very bright light that is evenly distributed, | | | | twice that of MV or Fluorescent. They also last for |
| making them ideal commercial warehouse lighting | | | | approximately 24,000 hours---the longest lamp light on |
| fixtures, canopy lights, security lights, in interior retail | | | | the market. |
| lights in discount stores where high levels of general | | | | The problem with HPS commercial lighting fixtures has |
| lighting help psychologically motivate larger bulk | | | | always been the quality of light they create. HPS |
| purchases of discount merchandise. | | | | lamps give off a yellowish or orange-tinted color and |
| Fluorescent bulbs produce light by activating phosphors | | | | are not acceptable light sources for situations where |
| on the interior of the bulb using ultraviolet energy | | | | illuminating a brand, architectural keynote, or any type |
| generated by a mercury arc. Ballast helps start and | | | | of ornate exterior landscaping requires a high level of |
| operate the fluorescent lamps by regulating electron | | | | color rendering. For the most part, they are used in |
| flow through the gaseous arc. Trends in fluorescent | | | | applications such as commercial parking garage lighting, |
| technology have made them more compact, | | | | warehouse lighting, and certain outdoor applications |
| increasing lumens per watt efficiency as high as 100 | | | | such as security flood lighting. |
| lumens per watt, and reducing the amount of toxic | | | | Metal Halide (MH Lighting Fixtures |
| mercury within the bulbs interior. Fluorescent | | | | Metal Halide (MH) commercial lighting fixtures are fast |
| commercial lighting fixtures are best deployed | | | | becoming the preferred source of HID lighting in most |
| underneath building eaves (as in the case of canopy | | | | commercial environments. This is because they |
| lights), near loading docks, in wall packs on the sides of | | | | produce a very bright white light that nearly equivalent |
| buildings, or as large grocery store or warehouse lights. | | | | to daylight in its color rendering ability. The variety of |
| Placing them too far out into open spaces tends to | | | | applications is significant as a result, ranging from |
| diffuse their light output and diminish their intensity. | | | | decorative street lighting, commercial parking lot lighting, |
| High Intensity Discharge (HID) Commercial Lighting | | | | car lot lighting, outdoor landscape lighting, architectural |
| Fixtures | | | | lighting, security lighting, and general site lighting. |
| HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. It refers to a | | | | Traditionally, their biggest drawback has been their |
| technology where light is produced by a gaseous arc | | | | short lamp life, only 7,500 hours on the average. |
| discharge using a variety of elements. Typical | | | | Newer designs in Metal Halide commercial lighting |
| elements include mercury vapor, metal halide, and high | | | | fixtures include pulse start technology and ceramic |
| pressure sodium. The arc tube within an HID lamp will | | | | metal halide design. These improvements have |
| contain one or more of such elements, and when | | | | increased lumens per watt efficiency, control of the |
| current passes between the electrodes at either end | | | | light itself through superior dimmability, better stability of |
| of the tube, the current creates an arc that generates | | | | color rendering, longer lamp life, and shorter start time. |
| visible light. | | | | Unfortunately, recent legislation has called for the |
| HID lamps feature the highest efficiency in lumens per | | | | phase out of certain standard forms of MH |
| watt output and also feature a greater level of lighting | | | | commercial lighting fixtures due to their use of |
| control. They also last longer than other commercial | | | | incendiary elements that fall under the classification of |
| lighting fixtures, making them a wise investment for a | | | | greenhouse gas sources. This in turn paves the way |
| company on a Spartan budget that cannot afford to | | | | for the most sophisticated lighting ever developed on |
| continually replace equipment. High intensity discharge | | | | our world, and quite possibly, the singular source of |
| sources include mercury vapor, metal halide, and high | | | | lighting used both commercially and residentially in the |
| pressure sodium (HPS) lamps. Light is produced in HID | | | | very near future: LED commercial lighting fixtures. |
| and low pressure sodium (LPS) sources through a | | | | LED Commercial Lighting Fixtures |
| gaseous arc discharge using a variety of elements. | | | | As technology improves, the ability to create truly |
| Each HID lamp consists of an arc tube which contains | | | | white LED light continues to evolve. LED commercial |
| certain elements or mixtures of elements which, when | | | | lighting fixtures are featuring higher lumens per watt |
| an arc is created between the electrodes at each end, | | | | efficiencies than their initial prototypes initially offered. |
| gasify and generate visible radiation. | | | | This has opened the door for a number of |
| Light Sources and Lamp Characteristics | | | | architectural lighting and site lighting applications that |
| Mercury Vapor (MV) Lighting Fixtures | | | | were previously the exclusive domain of HID |
| Mercury vapor lights were the first HID commercial | | | | commercial lighting fixtures. |
| lighting fixtures developed. They were designed | | | | We are also seeing an upsurge in the use of led |
| originally to meet a rising demand for a very compact, | | | | commercial lighting fixtures in street and roadway |
| high output, and energy efficient source of light. They | | | | lighting, where a number of municipalities in the United |
| are used extensively in a number of landscape lighting | | | | States and Europe have reported some very |
| applications, being commonly deployed as tree lights in | | | | promising findings in regards to both power cost |
| high-end commercial outdoor lighting systems. In other | | | | reduction and the overall quality of street lighting itself. |
| applications they have proven somewhat less | | | | Look for quarterly leaps and bounds in the engineering |
| effective duo to their inferior color rendering abilities, | | | | gains made by LED commercial lighting fixture |
| although this has improved to a certain extent over the | | | | manufacturers. |