We’ve all seen them. The distinctive eerie green glow of mercury vapor lighting dots the landscapes of commercial properties all over the world casting a harsh glare like alien beacons in the night. More frightening than the spooky appearance of these lights is the elemental make-up of the fixtures:mercury. Because each of these fixtures uses mercury to produce light, the EPA Act of 2005 banned all manufacture and/or import of this type of lighting effective January 1, 2008. As existing supplies of the necessary ballasts for these lighting fixtures dwindle, some folks are using Metal Halide ballasts with Mercury Vapor lamps. In doing this they are using lamps that they already KNOW are being phased, out instead of doing what is in the best interest of the client long term! This takes a bad light to new levels of abuse by sucking up even more energy since the metal halide ballast does not work as well for mercury vapor lamps. This 1940’s unit was discontinued by the United States for its inefficient use of energy and potential environmental hazards. Putting this kind of band-aid on an already power-hungry monster is simply not a good idea for anyone.
Besides the above mentioned issues with mercury vapor, there’s also the look of the light. Those who install this lighting as down lighting call it “moon lighting.” My question is, since when does the moon produce a green light? Maybe the Vulcan moon produces green light, but the moon of planet Earth produces a white light since the surface of our moon is gray and it reflects the light from our sun. This ghoulish green light makes the leaves of trees look pretty good since it brings out the green color, but it makes human skin look grey – like a corpse. This is because it has a terrible CRI (color rendering index).
NightScenes has never advocated the use of these fixtures for any application. In fact, we rarely use any fixtures or lamps other than energy-saving, earth-friendly LED now – even for commercial properties. The good news for mercury vapor users is that retro-fitting with LED is now possible! This cost effective alternative uses only 14 watts or so, instead of 100 (or 175), and is rated for more than twice the life of the mercury vapor lamps. Rated for 50,000 hours of use, these LED lamps save money in maintenance as well as the incredible savings of 80% on the energy bill. LED lamps can produce the same light output in color and intensity. Warmer colors are also available for those looking for a more natural lighting effect. So what’s not to love?
Whatever you do, do not allow an electrician or anyone else, talk you into using a metal halide ballast to keep your old, out dated, being phased out, ugly, poisonous, and environmentally destructive mercury vapor lights! It is way too easy – and may even be less expensive – to convert to LED.
http://lightingcontrolsassociation.org/2007-energy-law-eliminates-sale-of-probe-start-metal-halide-fixtures/
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-110publ414/pdf/PLAW-110publ414.pdf
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-109publ58/pdf/PLAW-109publ58.pdf no
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