Why use fluorescent lighting instead of HID fixtures in industrial applications?
• HIDs require several minutes to warm up. During this “re-strike” period, the lamps consume electricity but produce no usable light. • Energy-saving occupancy sensors, which automatically turn lights on when the area is occupied and off when the area is unoccupied, cannot be used with metal halide HIDs. • Dimming systems for HIDs are expensive and less efficient than those used for fluorescent control systems, reducing the benefits of decreasing light levels during low-use periods to save energy. • HID lamps can contain larger quantities of mercury compared with fluorescents. • Metal halide systems use one lamp per fixture. When a lamp fails it requires immediate replacement, since a failed lamp represents a 100 percent reduction in the illumination provided by that fixture. In most fluorescent systems, there are at least four lamps, so when a lamp fails there is only a 25 percent reduction in illumination, allowing a facility to operate safely until it is convenient to change the fai
