Technology improvements in available lighting solutions have made it more crucial for distributors to remain current on the latest choices for green energy-efficient lighting. 

A couple months ago, when I spoke with Will Bullock about energy-efficient lighting, he told me that while he could chew my ear about the many benefits of new fluorescent lighting systems over HID, his company sold and promoted both technologies. Bullock, who until recently served as Vice President and General Manager for Pauluhn, pointed out that there are applications where HID is the better source. “Floodlighting and applications with ambients below -20°C are two areas where HID is ideal. My position is that there are many industrial applications in the U.S. that are ‘stuck’ on HID. That’s what’s installed, that’s what staff are trained to maintain, that’s what the distributor has on the shelf,” said Bullock.   

Of course a key advantage fluorescent lighting offers over HID systems is the ability for fluorescent to function off an occupancy sensor. “HID can take up to 20 minutes to initially strike or to restrike in event of a power disruption. This condition is unsafe and unproductive. In normal ambients, fluorescents are ‘instant on’ and as such are well suited for intermittent operation in low activity areas of an industrial plant,” explained Bullock.

On the developing LED lighting front I recently reviewed marketing materials from LED Light Technology, LLC that compare the cost savings of the company’s LED products with several other lighting technologies. This sales tool, labeled “LED Light Technology-Quick Reference Guide”, was prepared by the Atlanta-based lighting manufacturer to compare the “life cycle cost savings of owning and operating” of LED Fixtures compared to existing lighting systems using Incandescent, Halogen, Fluorescent, or High Intensity Discharge in the forms of Mercury Vapor, Metal Halide, and High Pressure Sodium.

While many lighting experts have said that the “100,000-hour lamp life” rating advertised by many LED makers is simply over the top, this particular reference tool includes the assumption of an LED Fixture Life Cycle of 50,000 hours, which is a far more conservative measure than the 100,000 hour rated life we’ve seen with many other LED products.

Here are some highlighted life cycle dollar savings predicated on replacing existing traditional lighting systems with LED Light Technology’s more energy-efficient LED fixtures.

Obvious by its absence in this particular cost savings comparison is the newest generation of Induction lighting, which a growing number of energy efficiency lighting experts point to as an outstanding energy-efficient lighting solution.

But no matter how you slice it, the continual improvements in the energy efficiency and overall performance of a growing number of available lighting products demands that the distributor’s team works to maintain its expertise as a knowledgeable lighting consultant to contractors and building owners alike.