High bay lighting has some special requirements in terms of luminosity as well as the focus and angle of light. High bays or ceilings in warehouses, gymnasiums, and so on require effective and efficient lighting, which is bright enough and can be hung or mounted on the ceiling. HID or high-intensity discharge lighting has been used for this purpose since decades. High bay lights also include the ones on the streets. However, now with LED lights replacing almost every form of lighting across segments owing to their obvious benefits, they find applications in high ceilings too. This post compares LEDs and HIDs to decide which one is better.
High-Intensity Discharge lights are made of two electrodes made of tungsten and a quartz tube which contains a gas of a metal halide such as sodium or mercury. So basically it is a gas discharge light, which is lit when an electric arc passes through the electrodes and through the ionized gas. This electric arc heats up the metal halide present inside and vaporizes it to create plasma. This lighting up of the bulb may take a bit of time as the luminosity gradually increases as the metal halide housed inside goes on melting. So, the brightness increases as more metal halide inside evaporates. Managing and controlling the voltage is a crucial factor for these types of lights, and this is taken care of by an electrical ballast. This is because the initial heating process may consume extra voltage. The ballast optimizes the current just enough for the light to be functional.
Light Emitting Diodes as known are widely used for cost-effective and energy-efficient lighting solutions. These lights generate less heat, consume less energy, and last long. They are environmentally friendly. They are designed to meet specific indoor and outdoor requirements such as dark areas, high bay areas, outdoor areas with harsh weather, and so on. LEDs help reduce energy consumption and bills. Most governments offer rebates and incentives on installing LED lighting systems based on certain terms and conditions.
Everything has its own pros and cons. Likewise, LEDs and HIDs also have their own strengths and drawbacks. Here are some pointers:
If you are looking for LED lights for your high bay portion, ensure you source them from a UL and DLC listed reliable manufacturer and supplier. E2 Lighting USA is a renowned manufacturer of superior-quality and environmentally-friendly high bay LED lights for indoor and outdoor applications. They comply with the ROHS norms and are known to provide energy-efficient solutions.