If you need illumination over a wide target area, then it’s likely you’ll look to high mast lighting as your solution. However, many of these utilize high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting, which is an outdated and inferior technology that comes with several drawbacks. Now, more and more companies are rethinking this approach and turning to easy-to-maintain and cost-effective LEDs for their high mast lighting needs.
At National E Solutions, we provide high mast lighting solutions in PA and throughout the entire region for just about any application or job. Regardless if you’re illuminating a shipping port, airfield, railroad, or highway, you want improved safety and lighting, all at a lower cost — and that’s precisely what switching to LEDs can provide you. Let’s take a look at why you should make the switch today.
The Drawbacks of Traditional HID Lightning
One of the primary ways LEDs differ from HID lighting is the way they generate light. Inside a sealed HID lamp, there are various gases that assist its operation. However, these units depreciate over time. In fact, total rated lamp life is only about fifteen thousand hours, but the lamps are depreciated down to 40% useful light output after the first eight thousand hours.
Another pitfall to HID lights is their warm-up time. Typically, operators need to wait at least 25 to 30 minutes for them to reach full output. Not only that, but if they need to be restarted, they need to cool down first, before they can be turned on again. This can add up to hours and hours of “wait time” over the course of just a month.
One other disadvantage of high mast HID lights is maintenance. Since they only have a lifespan of about 15,000-25,000 hours, HID lights need to be replaced rather frequently. Not only can this be inefficient and expensive, but it can be difficult in rough work environments.
The Benefits of LED High Mast Lighting
There’s no denying it — LED lighting is the future of high mast lighting. Because they’re solid state lights, LEDs don’t need to rely on harmful gases to operate. Plus, they’re also durable and able to stand up to tough conditions, including rough handling, vibration, and other elements. This can be a substantial benefit in commercial and industrial uses.
Additionally, there is virtually no warm-up time with LEDs. They create instant illumination, all without affecting the performance of the lights. LEDs also consume just a fraction of the energy of traditional lights, meaning less money spent on utility costs.
Do the math. These fixtures LEDs are rated for a very long time. Many of the High Mast LEDs that National E Solutions offers have rated LED life hours of over 160,000 hours. Outdoor lighting fixtures typically are on for 12 hours per night or 4,380 hours (annually) per year. All of these factors result in lower repair and maintenance costs.
Clearly, LEDs provide the superior high mast lighting option for just about any application, from highways to airports, stadiums, shipping ports, rail-yards, worksites, and everything in between. We can even retrofit your existing high mast light poles from HID to LED technology.
For more information on our high mast LED lighting solutions, call us today at 877-799-1840.
