We carry a wide selection of Commercial & Industrial High Bay and Low Bay lighting fixtures for a variety of applications. High Bay fixtures are traditional made with HID lighting – Metal Halide or HPS bulbs. Now, many manufacturer’s are offering T5 high output fluorescent high bays because of the many benefits including, energy savings, cost-effectiveness, longer lamp life, higher lumens per watt, and higher CRI. In most high and low bay applications, fluorescent offers many advantages that are not possible with metal halide and usually at a lower operating cost. This section outlines the pros and cons of standard Metal Halide High Bay fixtures compares to T5 High Output Fluorescent fixtures.
High Bay & Low Bay Lighting Fixtures:
High Bay and Low Bay light fixtures are perfect for low mount applications such as warehouses, gyms, assembly areas, food processing plants and hangars. Standard high bay or low bay fixtures normally use HID (High Intensity Discharge) bulbs which is a special type of lighting that is much more intense than most other light sources. Metal Halide is most commonly used for indoor application since it emits a bluish white bright light that is much more pleasant to the eyes than HPS.
Low bay fixtures should be used in areas where the bottom of the luminaire is less than 20 feet above the floor. Low bay fixtures are usually 22 – 28″ in diameter in order to spread the light evenly. Low bay HID lighting fixtures have optical refractors that cover the lamp and reduce glare. Their widespread distribution improves vertical illumination and permits spacings as much as two or more times their mounting height. In addition, they can be mounted up to 25′ when high vertical illuminance is required. Fluorescent fixtures are also good for low bay lighting due to their excellent uniformity and relatively low lumen package compared to HID.
High bay lighting fixtures should be used in areas where the bottom of the light fixture is more than 20 feet above the floor. Typical high bay fixtures have a 15 – 18″ open reflector allowing for a more concentrated beam spread with a prominent downward component. High wattage sources in fluorescent and HID are usually required in order to properly illuminate the space.
In recent years, manufacturer’s have begun to offer T5 High Output fluorescent High Bay and Low Bay light fixtures designed to deliver energy efficiency and cost-effective illumination to retail and industrial applications. The pages that follow contain detailed information on the benefits of T5 High Output lighting over HID.
T5 Fluorescent High Output Advantages:
T5 lighting is a relatively new light source in the United States that was originally developed as a light source in combination with specialized reflectors for aquarium lighting. However, because of the benefits of T5 high output lighting, this light source is being specified more and more in applications where standard Metal Halide high bays are typically used.
T5 High Output Fluorescent benefits include:
-Energy Efficiency: A typical 54 Watt T5 HO (High Output) bulb produces 5000 lumens which is equivalent to 92.6 lumens per watt. The higher lumens per watt translates into big energy savings. Maintained footcandles are almost always better per energy dollars spent.
-Excellent Lumen Maintenance: T5 and T8 fluorescent lamps lose only 5-6% of their lumen output between the rated initial and maintained lumens (maintained lumens are calculated at 40% of rated life). By contrast, standard metal halide lamp lumens typically deteriorate about 35% over the same period. As the lamps continue to age, the difference becomes even more pronounced.
-Instant Restrike: In the event of a power interruption, fluorescent lamps are back on instantly, unlike HID sources which can take several minutes to restrike.
-Control Friendly: The instant-on capability of fluorescent lamps makes them ideal for use with occupancy sensors and photo cells, further increasing energy savings. Plus they are more cost-effective and versatile when it comes to dimming.
-Improved Color Rendering: T5 lamps have a Color Rendering Index of 82 and T8 lamps are typically 75 or 82. Metal halide lamps, on the other hand, have a CRI of 65 – 70 which negatively impacts visual acuity.
-Small Size: T5 bulbs are extremely thin at 5/8″ diameter rather than the standard 1.5″ diameter of standard fluorescent tubes. This slim profile makes T5 fluorescent bulbs more efficient than standard fluorescent tubes and lend themselves to slim fixtures. Linear fluorescent lamps also provide light from many angles, reducing troublesome shadows.
-Color Shift: Unlike metal halide, fluorescent lamps maintain consistent color throughout their life.
-Color Choices: Fluorescent sources offer a wide range of color options from 3000K – 6500K full spectrum daylight.
-Improved Lamp Life: Fluorescent lamps last two to three times longer than metal halide lamps.
Metal Halide High Bay Advantages:
Metal Halide has traditionally been the common solution in High Bay applications because of their versatile features. Metal Halide high bay features include:
-Superior optical design puts the light where you want it.
-Good initial fixture light output.
-Wide Temperature Range: Metal halide lamps operate reliably in areas where temperatures can exceed 120F or fall below 50F.
-Can operate in severe environments that are corrosive or extremely dirty.
-Lower Installed Cost: Basic metal halide high-bay fixtures are typically less expensive to install.
-Extreme mounting heights may lend themselves better to 1000W metal halides.:
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