Energy Efficient Lighting:400 Watt Metal Halide vs. T-5 High Bay

Will T-5 Replacement Make My Facility More Energy Efficient?

Reasons Why T-5 High Bay are More Energy Efficient Than 400 Watt Metal Halide:

For years, the standard in industrial and warehouse lighting has been the 400W Metal Halide High Bay.

Advancements in ballast development have led to many new lighting solutions for these applications.

While there are many fluorescent products and different fluorescent lamp types, this article will focus on the T5 HO linear fluorescent or F-bay as they are known in the industry.

Let’s look at some of the benefits of switching existing 400 Watt High-bays out with the new F-bay.

Energy Efficient T-5 Fixtures Use Less Electricity

A 400 Watt Metal Halide fixture uses 454 Watts.

A Replacement T-5 fixture can use as low as 190 Watts.

Fewer Watts = Fewer Kilowatts (See "Watts" a Watt Article if your not sure what we are talking about here)reducing a facilities overall cost of operating the facility. 

Less Wattage = Lower Cost

A key factor in many managers decision to change out there lighting is the T5’s ability to not only produce better light, but also to do it while consuming far less energy.

We use a T5 HO fixture that consumes 190 watts compared to the 454 watts that a typical 400W High Bay consumes.

In nearly all instances the new foot candle readings surpass those of the old lighting.

 

Energy Efficient T-5 Bulbs Experience Less Light Loss

No matter which fluorescent tube manufacturer you use their products all share one characteristic, they all will lose some of their output ability.

Fluorescent products will lose roughly 5-6% of their light output as they age.

In comparison, Metal Halide lamps can lose as much as 35-40% of their light output during the same life span.

That percentage of loss only gets worse as the bulb ages, all while still consuming the same 454 watts of electricity.

New T-5's Create Better Light

CRI is the measure of lights ability to reproduce what a color would look like in natural daylight.

The old Metal Halide lighting has a CRI index between 65-70.

New T5 HO lighting has a CRI index of 85.

Lower CRI affects the eye’s ability to see contrast, detail, and can also cause eye strain.

T-5 Fixtures Come on Instantly

All H.I.D. lamps need time to warm up and reach full lighting potential, which is why it was always such a pain to turn them off.

T5 HO fixtures are instant on/instant off, allowing the use of motion sensors or advanced lighting controls to even further your energy savings.

Energy Efficient Lighting = Lower Costs

In today’s economy where every dollar counts and electricity costs are only rising, upgrading your lighting system is one of the best business investments you can make into your company.

The return on investment is relatively quick, usually under 2 years.  Pair that with much longer life and you can continue to reap the benefits year after year.  

Adding municipality rebates and tax credits into the formula can have a huge impact on your payback timeline. Take a look at this website to see what rebates are available in your area.

The cost of electricity is only going to go up, why not invest in your company today and reap the savings for years to come!    

Here is a project that we completed that replaced 400 Watt Metal Halide with T-5 High Bays.