Managing HID Lighting

So why manage HID Lighting? Ever drive by a car dealership at 10 pm or even 2 am and see all the lights on and wonder why; or have you seen some lights out and thought that the dealership was closed or in disrepair? Do we need all that light? No but we do need security and accessibility not to mention a showcase for products.

If we manage the load, we manage the amount of power that is consumed lowering the cost of operation while supplying more than enough light to maintain security, accessibility, usability and a product showcase. This is true in arenas, manufacturing facilities, airports, parking lots, airplane hangars, cold storage facilities, street lighting, anywhere there are HIDs.

400 systems are saving over a million dollars a year in energy, and we’ve just begun.

Lumen Maintenance

Lighting designers realize that all lamps have a higher light output when they are new, diminishing in brightness over their lifetime. To compensate they design a light density that is approximately 20 to 30% brighter than is required. As lamps age, their lumen output is reduced and as they reach their nominal output they reach design levels. So what happens to all those lumens that are lost? Money out the window unless you have an ecopower HID Lighting Control System configured to harvest the excess light. Using light sensors that control variable outputs, ecopower ‘harvests’ the lumens otherwise lost. Never pay for your lamps again, let ecopower harvest the light and have the savings pay for your lamps and still add energy savings to your bottom line.

Daylight Harvesting

Energy usage in most facilities is typically highest during daylight hours. Fortunately, there is usually plenty of ambient outside light at this time. Any facility that utilizes HID lighting and has the benefit of daylight via skylights, windows, or large open doors can save energy through daylight harvesting. One or more photocells can be placed in an area that is monitored by a lighting control; these elements work in concert to maintain a constant interior light level.

Through daylight harvesting, a variable system provides invisible lighting control with no dramatic changes in light levels — just smooth transitions. This flexibility, having enough light for the job, yet still saving money, is beyond the scope of most hi/low systems, where 'enough light' usually means 100% — and NO savings.

Celestial Clock

Timers work but need to be adjusted constantly for changes in season and daylight savings. Ecopower uses a celestial clock that controls on and off times based on latitude and longitude, maximizing savings and minimizing human interaction.

Re-lamping

As mentioned in the lumen maintenance section, HIDs degrade over time as do all lamps. The same amount of energy is used to power a lamp that is producing 36,000 lumens or 15,000 lumens. The most cost effective strategy to maintain facility lighting and reduce maintenance costs is to relamp every 32 months. This strategy maintains light levels, maximizes harvesting opportunities and minimizes facility disruptions due to frequent maintenance, saving time and money. Let us show you how we can pay for your re-lamps and still put money in your energy savings plan.

Hi-Low Dimming

Hi/low systems just can’t compete with this, since the only choice they offer is either zero dimming (no savings) or maximum dimming (not enough light for most activities).

Fluorescent Dimming

We don’t dim fluorescents. ESPCs, which we work with, can design dimmable fluorescent systems to meet your needs. These systems are dimmed by controlling the ballast in each fixture. Call us for more information.