Metal Halide High Bay Lighting

Metal halide high bay lighting consistently remains the most popular form of high bay lighting in factories, warehouses, gymnasiums, public halls, transportation stations, and hangars. This isn’t surprising when we remember that metal halide high bays were originally designed specifically for the task of providing bright white, general lighting in industrial areas where visibility is essential to safety and production.

Metal halide high bay lights fall under the classification of High Intensity Discharge Light fixtures. High Intensity Discharge Lights (HID) are characterized by long lamp life, exceptional energy efficiency, and excellent color rendering abilities. This makes metal halide high bays ideal for factory lighting, where color differentiation plays an important role in general assembly work and safety. Any industrial facility or shipping facility that constantly struggles to maintain higher profits against the overhead associated with operations tends to metal halide high bays for two highly important reasons. For one thing, metal halide high bay lamps offer a long lamp life that minimizes the need for continual replacement fixtures. Companies will save money in the long run when they invest in lamps that will last for the duration of their predicted lifespan with little or no maintenance issues arriving in the interim period. This makes it possible not only to save money, but to more accurately forecast budgets. Contractors who are aware of these benefits can only serve themselves and their clients for the better by pointing out the advantages that metal halide high bay light fixtures offer to the industrial facility as a long term on investment that is both reliable and robust.

The luminance produced by metal halide high bays produce is a white light that renders color anywhere from 65 on up to 90 on the CRI. The actual CRI rating of a given lamp is determined by a number of factors such as its wattage, manufacture, positioning, ballast control, and level of optical engineering. In most aspects, MH high bays outperform high pressure sodium equivalents both because of the true white light they emit and the superior color rendering capabilities they offer. If you encounter a client who is uncertain about paying the higher cost of metal halide is justifiable on the basis of color rendering alone, there are some other considerations you might want to discuss with the decision maker before finalizing the proposal.

One thing you can point out right from the beginning is that the energy efficiency of new pulse start metal halide high bays is indisputable (see our article on pulse start technology to learn more about this). Superior engineering and improved ballast controls within the fixtures allow the new metal halides to reach full restrike luminance as little as 2 minutes after a shutdown or temporary power failure. This is not intended only as a matter of convenience, but as a more efficient use of power that translates to lower energy bills for your clients. Due of the superior lumens per watt rating this new technology offers, clients can save money on two levels. Lower wattage fixtures can be used to produce the same level of light as probe start metal halide high bays. Similarly, a lower number of high wattage fixtures can be installed and produce the same amount of illumination throughout the facility. The choice to go with either lower wattage or higher wattage and fewer fixtures should be weighed against the overall thermal output of the high bay lighting system in the building. Whatever option will place less strain on the HVAC system should be chosen, provided the system delivers a satisfactory level of lighting that is evenly distributed throughout the facility.

Another consideration to discuss with your clients is optics quality. Optical control in MH high bay lights made in the US is highly sophisticated. Glare shields and reflectors on most fixtures today are designed to produce a bright light that is still ergonomic to employee eyesight. RLLD Commercial Lighting metal halide high bays consistently exceed client expectations in this regard because we insist only on supplying our contractor clients with fixtures and lamps that are American made. These HID fixtures come with full written manufacturer’s warranties and feature specification grade engineering designed to deliver optimal results over a long period of time. They feature the best wiring designs, optical controls, reflectors, lamps, and lenses to ensure a luminance that is robust, reliable, cost effective, and contributive to the momentum of your client’s process flow.

RLLD Commercial Lighting will help you choose the best possible metal halide high bays for your client by performing a systematic photometric analysis of the facility prior to finalizing any equipment orders. This schematic, which is created with sophisticated lighting design software, will show us how much light must be produced in the room, how best to distribute that in terms of both horizontal and vertical foot candles, how many fixtures we need to supply you with, and where to best install those fixtures to maximize light distribution and long lamp life.