We all know or at least heard that converting from Metal Halide (High Intensity Discharge) to LED will save you money.

But how much? Are there any other reasons or difference you should know about?

In this article, we break down all the factors that you should be aware of before making a decision to convert from Metal Halide to LED. Here are the 9 reasons we think LED wins over Metal Halide.

Let’s take a look at the information on a typical 400 watt metal halide bulb. While specifications may vary, a visit to a popular online website that sells Metal Halide bulbs shows that a brand new bulb has the following specifications:

We have just as many customers wanting to convert to LED because of maintenance savings as they do for energy savings. Think about what we discussed, over the life of the LED retrofit kit, a customer would have to do 5-6 Metal Halide replacements. The higher the installation height, the higher the cost of replacement. And if you have a facility loaded with lights, this becomes a significant budget amount every year that you must take into consideration. Now, we know that reduced maintenance time on lights does not translate into dollars saved because it is highly unlikely that people will lose their jobs over the fact there is much less work to do. However, these people will have time to now work on things that matter, like fixing the machines that make the company money instead on replacing lights that cost the company money.

When you take a measurement of light with a light meter, it reads lumens. And this measurement of all the lights that contribute to the light at that location creates a measurement called foot candles. But let’s think about that light that is being measured. Metal Halide creates all sorts of light, in all spectrum’s, visible or otherwise. This includes UV and IR spectrum’s, visible to the measuring device but not visible to the human eye. LED, on the other hand, does not produce UV and IR. Therefore, its readings using the same light meter is only picking up visible spectrum’s.

So there is a fun little test you can do. Have 2 light sources, LED and Metal Halide. And first ask, which one is brighter? And if the right LED source was selected, they should say LED. And then use a light meter, and the light meter may say the Metal Halide area is producing more foot candles. And so now you know part of the reason, but wait, there’s 2 other pieces of information you need to know.

Click here to see our infographic on Retrofitting vs Replacing.

Conclusion

Thinking back to the Big Freeze in February might make you shiver.  Many of Dallas’ residents were stuck indoors for days on end, unable to even get out of their driveways.  But perhaps the worst parts of the early February freeze were the rolling blackouts that some residents suffered.

According to Oncor, the power delivery company in North Texas, 1.3 million residents were affected by these blackouts.  Luminant, the biggest power provider in the state, lost 11 coal and natural gas generators on February 2.  This trickled all the way down to North Texas residents, and even fire stations and police stations were stuck without power.

Losing power during a cold snap can be quite an an inconvenience.  If you’re without power for an extended period of time, you might have to incur extra costs, or even face the danger of driving on icy roads by going out to eat, or even be driven out of your home to a hotel room to stay warm for the night.  In the office, or even at home, a sudden power outage can cause you to lose precious data on your computer as well.  So what can you do to prevent these things from affecting you in the future?  Install an emergency power system.

An uninterruptable power supply (or UPS) provides emergency power to your home in the event of a power outage.  Designed to provide instant backup power, a UPS uses batteries or diesel generators to keep you up and running.  There are a variety of types of uninterruptable power supplies, and a Dallas Electrician can help find the one that will fit your home or office, and can install it safely for you.

So, before you’re left in the dark or cold again, talk to a local electrician in Dallas about the different emergency power systems available for you, and which one will best fit your needs.  They will be able to assess your situation and make sure your power system is safely installed.  Then, the next time North Texas suffers from rolling blackouts, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing your family and home is safe from the heat or cold.

You have seen the news and have heard about the government’s move to make those cheap light bulbs a thing of the past. You are probably wondering why this is necessary and what is all the fuss about these CFLs you have seen in place of those other incandescent bulbs? Your Los Angeles electrician is here to explain why this is one trend you want to be a part of. The team at The Electric Connection can help you make the transition from the outdated bulbs to the new, more energy efficient CFLs.

One of the major complaints about the CFLs is the expense. Yes, they are more expensive. You can expect to pay anywhere from $3 to $5 for a single bulb. Before you let that deter you from jumping aboard the CFL bandwagon, read on. You have probably noticed the bulbs are sold in singles more often than the 4-pack we have become accustomed to buying. When you start using CFLs, you will understand why. The bulbs last 10 times longer than one of the incandescent bulbs. That means instead of changing a bulb every couple of months, you will go a year or more in between bulb changes.

The initial expense is also not so bad when you factor in the savings on your electric bill every month. Assuming $20 of every $100 of your electric bill is for lighting alone, you could save about $15 each month on lighting costs. CFLs use 75 percent electricity than the almost obsolete incandescent bulbs. This also translates to a reduction on energy, which is always a bonus for the environment. If you have an outdate fixture that does not work with CFLs, call an electrician. Los Angeles homeowners can update the lighting in their home and ultimately save money. Give The Electric Connection a call today and start saving money on your monthly electric bill.