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

Here at Kolb Electric, we’re excited that Christmas is coming up soon—families throughout MD, DC, and VA have already started putting up their beautifully decorated Christmas trees. This time of the year also means that families in the area will decorate their homes with beautiful outdoor lighting to celebrate Christmas. Now, hundreds of homes each year are damaged as a result of faulty electrical wiring during the holiday season. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) states that each year fires occurring during this season claim the lives of over 400 people, injure 1,650 more, and cause over $990 million in damage.

Fortunately, there are some simple outdoor Christmas lighting safety tips we recommend you follow to ensure a safe and happy holiday. By following these precautionary lighting tips, individuals can minimize the risk of becoming a holiday fire casualty. You can trust us—we’ve been offering lighting help to our customers since 1925!

We recommend that you following these outdoor Christmas lighting safety tips to avoid a catastrophe this holiday season. If you do require Christmas lighting help, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Sometimes that light that seems to be acting strange lately is more than just a fluke. It is a precursor to a bigger problem and it should be looked at by a professional right away. Little things like a popping breaker or a funky electrical smell are all signs you need a Pasadena electrician to come out and do some investigating. Not every problem is something small and meaningless. Those little electrical warning signs are often indicators there is something happening behind the walls of your home that you cannot see. It is imperative you get an electrician out as soon as possible to determine what the underlying cause is. The Electric Connection has a team of qualified electricians who are here to help.

If you are not sure what actually qualifies as an electrical emergency, this should help.

1-Anytime there is any smoking, crackling or visible signs like black streaks around an outlet, you need to call an electrician. Pasadena homeowners should consider this an emergency and call immediately. While you are waiting for service, do not use the outlet.

2-A breaker that seems to trip frequently is not an emergency, but it does warrant a look from a certified electrician. It may be weak or overloaded. If it is weak, it will need to be replaced.

3-Light fixtures that seem to work sporadically should always be checked out by an electrician. A loose wire could be causing a faulty connection. This can lead to an electrical fire. If you notice bulbs are constantly blowing in a fixture, it should be investigated as well.

4-An outlet that isn’t working properly may be improperly wired. This is something your electrician can take care of for you before it becomes a serious problem.

If you have experienced any of these issues or would just like an electrical safety inspection, give The Electric Connection a call today.

The relationship between weather and energy usage is a never-ending cycle. Spikes and drops in temperature and humidity lead to spikes and drops in energy use (and costs), which in turn correspond with spikes and drops in greenhouse gas emissions, further affecting climate. What does this relationship mean when it comes to your energy usage?

Temperatures above 100 and below 40 stress your heating and cooling system, pushing it to capacity, reducing efficiency, and draining energy supplies, along with your wallet. Quite simply, this amounts to less bang for your buck in terms of comfort. Add to temperature issues, wind, cloud cover, and precipitation and the snowball effect continues, further impacting comfort levels, not to mention your ability to illuminate interior spaces. Compound the issues – and the population affected – and you’ve got grid strain to boot.

That depends on the source of energy. In the US, 83 percent of energy usage comes from fossil fuels, which release gases such as CO2 into the environment during the creation of energy. Unfortunately, these gases trap heat in the atmosphere. Atmospheric greenhouse gases have increased 30 percent since the pre-Industrial Revolution era alone, and the level continues to rise with energy demand. As levels increase, so does the effect on the environment. Thousands of scientists agree the trapped gases are currently affecting the climate, and will increasingly weigh on it as time goes on. This has resulted in an increase in interest in cleaner forms of energy, including nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal.