If your business operates with cold-storage facilities, you know the importance of maintaining an absolute temperature; however, did you know lighting can be a source of generated heat? This extra energy can cost you more money than you may realize.

There are many types of lighting: incandescent; fluorescent; neon; and more. These lighting sources all use energy and release some amount of heat. Relumination can design a lighting system for you that does not generate this largely excessive heat.

Incandescent lighting is an old technology. It works by passing an electrical current through a resistive wire. As the electricity moves through this wire energy is released in the form of light and heat. These kinds of lighting systems generate the most heat and require the most energy.

Fluorescent lights utilize a special tube that contains a partial vacuum. There is no air in these tubes, but there is mercury in them. A ballast provides a high voltage through these tubes that excites the mercury. A fluorescent powder coats the inside of the tube and converts the UV radiation into visible light. The tubes themselves do not release much excessive heat energy, but the ballasts can be a problem with these systems. Depending on their efficiency, a ballast can release as much as 10% of input power as heat.

If your ballast is releasing 10 watts of heat, in an hour this could mean a potential increase of 39 degrees Fahrenheit for a 45 cubic foot volume. This much heat being released continuously requires your refrigeration system to cycle on and off meaning more costs in cooling.

Neon systems are like fluorescent systems but require much higher voltages and can be even less efficient.

LED lighting systems are different. They still produce heat, but they don’t produce the infrared energy like incadescent bulbs; furthermore, an LED system uses less energy than fluorescent lighting by using lower voltages and currents thereby reducing excessive heat output. LEDs also last longer than fluorescent lights. This saves you on costs for replacement of ballasts or the tubes.

Lighting is important for any business. It allows customers to see products clearly, gives employees a safe working environment, and let’s business move smoothly.

If your business can benefit from the lighting services of Relumination, please contact us for more information on how we can serve your needs.