Let's define high bay lighting first.
Indoor lighting that is frequently hung using a pendant, chain, or directly to a ceiling or ceiling girder is referred to as high bay or low bay lighting. Compared to recessed troffer or fluorescent lights, these lights are frequently positioned higher.
Warehouses, industrial settings, commercial lighting areas, shopping malls, and gymnasiums are typical locations for this sort of lighting. Despite the widespread use of these kinds of lighting, there are several inherent flaws that might cause issues. Below, we'll look at the three most typical issues with high bay lighting. High energy expenses, high maintenance costs, and subpar lighting performance are these three.
Energy Prices
Depending on the application and fixture, high bay and low bay lights can range in power from 175 to 1000 watts. In general, the light output increases with increasing light wattage. The factors in this situation depend on the area that is lighted, the ceiling height, and the positioning of the fixture. The wattages used are affected by each of these elements.
To put a price on this wattage, consider that the annual power expenditures for a 400 watt or 1000 watt HID fixture (which are typical wattages for high bay lighting and low bay lighting, respectively) may be up to $209 and $525, respectively. Depending on the facility, these expenses may significantly increase your energy bills.
cost of maintenance
Those responsible for maintaining commercial lighting, warehouse lighting, and gym lighting generally have to balance high energy expenses with maintenance worries.
As previously mentioned, high bay lighting is frequently put on ceilings higher than 15 feet. To replace a bulb or a ballast with one of these lights, you normally need to utilise a lift. In most cases, a building must employ an outside contractor to maintain a lift because it often does not own one.
Over a few years, these maintenance costs might mount up quickly. As a concrete illustration, the labour and material costs to maintain a single high bay light fixture over the course of three years can easily reach $1,200.
Luminous Efficiency
Depending on the type of lighting placed in your facility, the qualities of your high bay lighting and low bay lighting might differ greatly. Metal halide lamps generate a "whiter" sort of light, but they have a propensity for fast lumen degradation, which means that after initial installation, the lamps' light output rapidly declines. You may have noticed how these high bay lights produce a highly "pink" light. Even when they are operating, they hardly shine any light on the desired surface below.
High pressure sodium lamps, on the other hand, experience less lumen deterioration than metal halide lamps, therefore they may have a longer usable life. However, its fuel arrangement generates light that is quite "orange" and has a very low CRI. In other words, you essentially exchange a longer lifespan for a light source that is of worse visual quality.
