Do You Need Whole New Fixtures When Upgrading to LED?
Sep
24,
2018

Do You Need Whole New Fixtures When Upgrading to LED?

By Leah • Sep 24, 2018

There are business owners who have been put off in the past when it comes to upgrading to LED lighting. They may understand the basics of reduction in costs, greater energy efficiency and improved quality of lighting, but they are scared of initial installation costs. For industries which have older buildings in particular, this can seem daunting.

One of the main concerns is how they are going to update the many fixtures they have in industrial sized spaces. Fortunately, with OEO these problems come with even more solutions.

Retrofit LED Lighting

Retrofit lighting means you can use still use existing lighting fixtures, but they can be easily amended to accommodate the wattage and power issues of LED bulbs. They are cheaper than installing new fixtures, although they may incur some electrician charges if your personnel do not feel confident in installing the bypass.

Ballasts are necessary elements for high intensity discharge (HID) lamps and metal halide bulbs. These are so necessary due to the function of discharge bulbs. A strong amount of energy is required to start the bulb, creating an arc between electrodes in the gas filled glass casings. This strong energy needs to be controlled, otherwise too much electricity will travel to the electrodes and cause it to short.

Such a need for electrical energy regulation is another reason why LED lighting is so much more energy efficient than HIDs. They do not require any ballasts to start as they are self-regulating and require much less energy to emit the same amount of brightness. Our OEO retrofit bulbs (such as the EZ LED BB-P) have an easy ballast bypass option which means you can use the same fixture, but take the ballast element out of the equation. It is simple switch from HIDs like a high pressure sodium or metal halide bulb, so it means you won't need to worry about gutting your space or tearing up ceiling installations.

Plug and Play Direct Replacement LEDs

As easy as retrofitting can be for a space, it is not the easiest option we have available. Our direct replacement bulbs such as the EZ LED 1K ULTRA series are perfect for high bay spaces such as warehouses, airplane hangars or processing plants. They fill up the space with their up to a 1000 W output and will not deplete in lumens as do HIDs.
 



 
This light quality is important here as without the need for a ballast bypass, they can shine as bright as they need to. They also won't incur any additional installation fees, doing as they are described by plugging them in and lighting immediately.

Another major advantage of high pressure sodium bulbs and other HIDs are their ability to turn on instantly, incorporate motion sensor technology and provide the right kind of light when you need it.

New LED Fixtures

It might be easy to assume new LED fixtures are only for those who need them, i.e. for ancient fixtures which cannot be bypassed or for some reason cannot accommodate plug and play. While this is true, it is not the only case.

LED fixtures are becoming industry standard in many areas, so installing them will be good for any new building or a company who wants which is forward looking. They do cost more to install, but the benefits are myriad. They have extremely good light quality and are study as can be. Take the OEO EDGE LED fixture which can provide a whopping 130 lumens per Watt while still saving you up to 70% on energy costs. With a 100,000 hours L70 for longer life, it will long outlast its 5 year warranty. New fixtures are more of an investment, but this only means you will be rewarded with higher returns.