Induction Light

[tom baker]

I installed my first induction light (er, luminaire) today. Have 9 more to do, but tonight I'll take a look at night and compare it to the HPS on the other end of the building- this was a wallpack.
Induction lighting uses a generator to excite the gas in the lamp. They are instant on, starting at 70% of initial lumens and then 100 % in a few minutes. The CRI, or light quality is 90+ and the lamp temperature is 5100 deg K.
And, the lamps last for ten years.
I like the induction lighting as they are good for security lighting, due to the instant on. This location is on a generator, and will eventually have cameras.
I'll take pictures tonight and post tommorrow.
Research shows that using white light instead of HPS allows lower lighting level since we see better at night with white light.

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

Curious about cost differance

 

[tom baker]

These wall packs were $434 each. A Holophane would be about $300.
Considering a ten year life, its worth the cost. A 24,000 hour HPS has to be relamped every 4 years.

 

[OlPeculiar]

Tom -

I'm curious - it sounds like you might be dealing with a Sylvania Icetron system. If not the actual Icetron, then some other equivalent, inductively coupled, electrodeless lamp system. They're sold as a lamp & ballast combination, and at end of life, you replace the entire rig. Well, electrical system - not the entire luminaire fixture!

I know they're expensive, and they're also a brand-new form factor, so fixture manufacturers have been slow to adopt this technology. You usually can't just drop that lamp into an existing fixture design - you'd probably have to build a new fixture around it. But with a rated life of 100,000 hours, you have to wonder if it might be worth the trouble.

High pressure sodiums usually have a CRI in the mid-20s, so these things should impress the hell out of people, at least regarding quality of light, if not total lumen output. I'm just curious to hear more about your first-hand experience working with these induction lamps, as I've never had the opportunity to do so myself. I'd love to hear any impressions you have about working with these, and also about their performance.

- OlPeculiar