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

Your home is constantly evolving as you upgrade this, tweak that to suit your style and add little touches that make your home more compatible with you and your needs. Because your home is a major investment, you want to make sure all those upgrades are completed the right way and are safe. When you are thinking of the little things you want done, keep your electrician in Beverly Hills in mind. The Electric Connection has been taking care of customers for years and would love to help you improve your home.

When you think about some of the little things you can do around your house to make it better, you will probably discover a lot of it has something to do with electricity. Adding new lights to dim hallways, bathrooms and even closets is one common upgrade many homeowners aspire to do. A closet that is well-lit is practical as well as convenient. Those battery powered lights that are commonly marketed as a way to light up the small spaces are not always bright enough and they tend to go through batteries rather quickly.

Instead of the quick-fix, talk to your electrician about a long-term fix, like a new light fixture in the closet. This is the same for those hallways that tend to have only one light in the middle. The ends are always a little shady. Adding lights is one way to enhance the overall look of your home as well as the safety. Wouldn’t you feel better navigating a brightly lit hallway or digging through a closet where you can actually see the colors of the garments?

If you would like to brighten up the dark spots in your home, call your electrician. Beverly Hills home owners can give The Electric Connection a call to find out more about the options available.

We have 168 hours in the week, and most of us spend 40 of those hours at our office. If we are spending this much time in one place, we want to make it a comfortable atmosphere for ourselves and others who are visiting. The appearance of your business can be influenced heavily by its lighting. Here are some business lighting solutions to keep in mind to help yourself and your business.

The last thing you want is to be sitting in a dark space day after day. Getting the proper lighting in your office will help lift your energy and make your space more enjoyable. When you look at your office space, can you identify dark spaces or dimly lit areas? If so, you are most likely in need of a lighting redesign. Using pot lights and spot lights can help to brighten up even the darkest corners without adding large fixtures to your space and reducing the height of the room. In rooms where you have no natural light at all, it is especially important that you have substantial lighting. Having only light from your monitor can create stress on your eyes.  Let an expert review your space and get your ceiling connected correctly with the right lighting.

For those businesses that are looking for foot traffic even at the late hours of the day or night, this is a big one to consider. The outside of your building should be well lit for potential customers to see. Not only does it make your business more appealing, but it also adds safety for both your customers and employees. Adding outdoor spot lights and overhead lighting can make all routes to your business visible and safer for everyone.

At this point most of us are tethered to our computers. Without them, little work can be done. So, if a power outage occurs, you could be looking at hours of downtime. Installing a backup generator can help to protect you from the unproductive hours. If a power outage occurs, the backup generator will engage to keep your electronics up and running. Computers, printers, registers, and tills can be continually used. An investment like this can pay for itself over the years.

Making your work a more enjoyable place can start with simple steps, like upgrading your lighting. Have one of our expert electricians visit your business and we can help you not only make it enjoyable for you and your customers, but more productive and safe.

We all want the best for our children, and one of the most important ways we can help the next generation is by ensuring that they are receiving the highest quality education they can. But what if I told you there is an element to education that most people overlook when discussing ways to change education, even though it has been proven to improve behavior and focus, reduce disruptions and increase reading speed and learning capacity?

Though often overlooked, Research has shown that full-spectrum, cool white light is best for encouraging concentration in a classroom, so swapping out outdated fixtures for newer technology could be a great start to better classroom lighting.

Although fluorescent fixtures are popular in schools, the way they flicker (often imperceptibly) especially if a child has a visual impairment that necessitates a brighter environment. Try to position the lights (or the students) so that the task lighting is on the opposite side of their dominant (writing) side. This ensures that their writing arm won’t block the light, and distracting shadows won’t affect their work.

Teachers should try to avoid standing in front of lights or windows when talking, because these can easily distract or bother students. Though it can be difficult, students will focus and learn better when the teacher eliminates as many distractions as possible. And who among us hasn’t caught themselves drifting in a daydream out a window, whether interested in the topic at hand or not?

There are many programs and initiatives for better classroom lighting in place, though many are local to specific regions. Have you heard of any neat programs geared towards smart classroom lighting? Let us know in the comments!