# Wallpacks LED vs HPS



## TheWireNut (Apr 20, 2014)

Aside from the orange HPS light, which do you feel is actually more cost effective over the life of the fixture? We've been putting up hundreds of LED outdoor lighting due to a recent energy audit, there are so many very good less than 4yo HPS in our shop it's a crying shame!

The LED is certainly a nice white light in the 5-6500K range, but I guess I'm still stuck on the economics of HPS. Without incentives do you think it's actually worth it? These are not retros, whole fixture replacement.

MH, is a different story........no life compared to HPS. 

TWN


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## farlsincharge (Dec 31, 2010)

New installation is getting led now. It just makes sense providing they last?

Retrofit, I would think it cheaper to just fix the existing fixture. People hate the HPS light though.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

You nave to get 3 years ROI or it isn't really worth it.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

LED is garbage. The lumen statistic that the manufacturers claim are completely bogus.


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## Chris1971 (Dec 27, 2010)

TheWireNut said:


> Aside from the orange HPS light, which do you feel is actually more cost effective over the life of the fixture? We've been putting up hundreds of LED outdoor lighting due to a recent energy audit, there are so many very good less than 4yo HPS in our shop it's a crying shame!
> 
> The LED is certainly a nice white light in the 5-6500K range, but I guess I'm still stuck on the economics of HPS. Without incentives do you think it's actually worth it? These are not retros, whole fixture replacement.
> 
> ...


Rab makes a nice LED wallpack.


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## union347sparky (Feb 29, 2012)

4 year old HPS is trash. Throw in the garbage and don't think twice.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Bring back Mercury Vapor lights...


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

HARRY304E said:


> Bring back Mercury Vapor lights...


They would outlast LED's. :laughing:


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

union347sparky said:


> 4 year old HPS is trash. Throw in the garbage and don't think twice.


You might be able to sell them on CL in Colorado. :laughing:


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## farlsincharge (Dec 31, 2010)

MTW said:


> LED is garbage. The lumen statistic that the manufacturers claim are completely bogus.


It isn't an apples to apples thing. 

Here is an arena I did. Swapping out 400w MH for 120w LED. The reps were there and I set my light meter on centre ice and took a picture before the swap and one after. Thinking they could use it for advertising. 
The lumens were way out of whack. However everyone agreed that the light was much better. The players all feel that there are way fewer shadows now.


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

Interesting, where I've been replacing CFLs and incandescents/halogens with LEDs, everyone swears the LEDs are dimmer, until I put the old bulbs back in, which are actually NOTICEABLY dimmer. Something about the LED light tricks your eye into thinking it's dimmer even when it's brighter. Could be the rendering, but the LEDs have better rendering than CFLs. Could be the color, but the LEDs are ~2900k which is very close to the halogens. It could just be the shape and lens of the bulb, there's much less glare to your eye.

To the original topic . . . all of our parking lot lights are HPS and I have every intention of keeping them that way until I have to replace fixtures. They are easy and inexpensive to both operate and maintain. The only downside is the orange light-- but every other parking lot on the block has the same ugly orange light, so I'm probably the only one who cares.


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## TheWireNut (Apr 20, 2014)

Funny we brought up Mercury Vapor, all of the old school sparkys love MV! Those things last for 20+ years. 

I guess I may be the only one who doesn't mind the orange light of a Sodium fixture. I even have a few LPS fixtures kicking around form the UK. 

TWN


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

TheWireNut said:


> Funny we brought up Mercury Vapor, all of the old school sparkys love MV! Those things last for 20+ years.
> 
> I guess I may be the only one who doesn't mind the orange light of a Sodium fixture. I even have a few LPS fixtures kicking around form the UK.
> 
> TWN


LPS used to be along the mass pike and they would take about 25 minutes to reach full brightness:laughing:


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

I thought I was the only one nostalgic for MV. It's horrible light, especially indoors, but I have so many childhood memories of noticing the lights that took FOREVER to turn on. They definitely last forever but they get DIM at the end!


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

farlsincharge said:


> It isn't an apples to apples thing.
> 
> Here is an arena I did. Swapping out 400w MH for 120w LED. The reps were there and I set my light meter on centre ice and took a picture before the swap and one after. Thinking they could use it for advertising.
> The lumens were way out of whack. However everyone agreed that the light was much better. The players all feel that there are way fewer shadows now.


Yes, it's that whole "photoptic" vs. "scoptoptic" lumens thing. I don't understand all the subtleties but I do know that I find LED lighting to be very harsh with lots of glare from the source.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

I been slapping in led wallpacks left and right lately. So far I have not heard any thing come back at me from a single burglar as to which one they think is preferred.


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## TheWireNut (Apr 20, 2014)

macmikeman said:


> I been slapping in led wallpacks left and right lately. So far I have not heard any thing come back at me from a single burglar as to which one they think is preferred.


One of the reasons I like HPS fixtures, light is light. Even better if it's cheap and lasts many years. 

TWN


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## Surge03 (Sep 23, 2012)

HARRY304E said:


> Bring back Mercury Vapor lights...


Lol, those things last forever


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## Surge03 (Sep 23, 2012)

dspiffy said:


> Interesting, where I've been replacing CFLs and incandescents/halogens with LEDs, everyone swears the LEDs are dimmer, until I put the old bulbs back in, which are actually NOTICEABLY dimmer. Something about the LED light tricks your eye into thinking it's dimmer even when it's brighter. Could be the rendering, but the LEDs have better rendering than CFLs. Could be the color, but the LEDs are ~2900k which is very close to the halogens. It could just be the shape and lens of the bulb, there's much less glare to your eye. To the original topic . . . all of our parking lot lights are HPS and I have every intention of keeping them that way until I have to replace fixtures. They are easy and inexpensive to both operate and maintain. The only downside is the orange light-- but every other parking lot on the block has the same ugly orange light, so I'm probably the only one who cares.



If the Cree levels are below 80 they will look shadowy


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## Surge03 (Sep 23, 2012)

mtw said:


> yes, it's that whole "photoptic" vs. "scoptoptic" lumens thing. I don't understand all the subtleties but i do know that i find led lighting to be very harsh with lots of glare from the source.


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